Fresh Start, Or Maybe Not
by msleahbeah3236
Summary: Clare has trouble moving on from a rocky relationship with her step brother Jake, and moves in with her dad who had moved to the states 2 years earlier. She is welcomed by her father and his new family, but will her mistakes cause her the fresh start she was looking for? *Hiatus... I am so blocked for this story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my second fan fic, and I am really excited about it. I don't know how the whole thing will be going, but I do know it makes me happy to write it. That has to count for something right? I'm not done with the other one, and I will still update it from time to time. I'm just kind of bored with it. This story on the other hand, is a lot better.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi**

I got out of my mother's silver SUV, and walked to her window. I may have been miserable at home with her, Glen, and Jake, but I had to admit I would miss her. Tears started to blur my vision, but I wiped them away before they fell.

I grabbed my three suitcases from the trunk, and walked to her open car window.

"I love you mom, I'll miss you." I said hesitating whether or not to keep going.

"Sweetie, I know you're nervous, but it'll be okay. I love you so much, and if you really miss me, I'm just a phone call away." My mom said.

"Bye mom." I smiled as I walked over to my father.

"Bye Clare" I heard her say faintly from the car after I had turned my back already.

I walked over to my father's car. We had to cross the border to get to my dad's new house. He moved to a city in Pennsylvania on the southern side of Lake Erie. Surprise, Surprise that city was called Erie.

"Hey dad, how are you?" I said nicely as I put my bags into my dad's car.

"I'm great. I'm so excited to spend a year with my favorite Clarebear". He said cheerfully, as I sat down in the passenger seat.

I shoot him a fake smile. Don't get me wrong I'm happy to spend time with my dad, but I am nervous about having to go to a new school, and live in a new house, and live in a new country.

He seems to notice the fake smile, and is saddened by it.

"Hey dad, I just don't like being called Clarebear that's all. I say smiling way more genuinely.

His smile came back, and he said "just a two hour drive till we are home."

We crossed the border fairly quickly, and were back on the road.

My father and I make small talk on the car ride, but nothing too serious. He tells me about my new home, my new school, and about the city.

He had only been living here for about 2 years, and seemed to be very knowledgeable on the place.

I learned that my new school "Lake View Academy" was one of the most highly ranked schools in the State, and that I would be "challenged immensely". He also told me that Erie was a small city, but that it had great beaches. The beaches will be little use to me since it is about three weeks till school starts. He told me about his next door neighbors, and how they have a daughter that is going to be in grade ten like me. Her name is Lucy, and dad says she is a lot like me.

"She goes to your new school, and she is the only person in that neighborhood that I want you hanging out with." Dad said seriously.

"Do you live in a bad neighborhood?" I asked nervously.

"Not bad, just not the best." He said hesitantly.

"Oh?" I ask in a light mood.

We get off of the highway, and I start looking around at all of the short buildings. This place is a lot smaller than Toronto, but I suppose I can deal.

"What do people my age do around here for fun?" I ask wondering how this small city could be fun.

"Well I suppose you will have to ask Lucy. I don't keep up with the kids." He said trying to think of something.

We turn into a drive way that I assume belongs to us. I get out of the car. The house is bungalow style, and brick. It looks almost identical to the one next door. They are both pretty nice, and a lot bigger than our townhouse in Toronto. I notice that the street is a lot busier than what I'm used to, but that's nothing too bad. Down the street there is a big 6 way intersection with a convenient store, and a thrift shop.

After spending a few minutes looking around I walk up the stairs to the house, and help my dad bring in my bags.

I walk in the door, and see that the living room is pretty old fashioned. There are old hardwood floors, and it was absolutely nothing like what I had pictured before coming.

I bit my lip, and continued through the home glancing around at everything. I assessed that either my dad bought this placed pre-furnished or got a decorator; because there is no way my dad would have made these choices himself. I walked into a short hallway with three doors, and saw the bathroom. It was surprisingly tidy for my father. He wasn't one to clean up after himself, but I suppose he'd gotten used to it after the divorce, and all.

The other two doors off of the hallway were closed, so I turned around and look back into the remainder of the home. There was a stair case next to the start of the hall way, and the kitchen door was next to that. I walked into the kitchen, and saw that it too was old fashioned. I was all right with that though. It gave the house a homey feeling. Off the kitchen there was a mud room equipped with a pantry, and a staircase down to a dark and dingy basement. I could tell already I wouldn't be spending much time down there.

"Clare" I heard my dad call my name from the living room.

"I'm in the kitchen" I say, and walk toward the living room.

"Taking a look around I see… What do you think?" he asks trying to make me feel at home.

"It's really nice dad, but it's not very… you?" I say questioning his décor.

"Well, I got some help with the decorating. The old couple who lived here before me left a lot of stuff, and I am using a lot of that, and I got a decorator to help with the rest" he said jokingly.

"That is exactly what I figured" I said with a small grin that made my lips disappear.

"Oh Clare, follow me. I'll take you to your room". He said excitedly.

I followed him back into the narrow hall off of the dining room, and through the door on the left. I looked around. The room was smaller than my old room, but not by more than a foot or two. The walls were a light shade of blue, and the single bed had a yellow and white floral comforter. There were two white dressers on the left wall of the room, and the bed with a tall white headboard was nuzzled in the corner. The closet was on the same wall as the door, and was a good enough size. Next to the closet was an empty white bookshelf. The floor was the same medium brown hardwood that went through the majority of the home. The walls were bare, but I can always fix that.

My dad looked at my reaction. "Well, what do you think?" he asked enthusiastically.

I turned around and smiled."I like it dad… I don't even know what to say."

"I'm really glad you like it, Clare."

"I'm going to start with dinner. You could start unpacking or you could introduce yourself to Lucy, or…"

I cut him off. "That sounds good… Which house does she live in?" I ask. I figure I should probably try to make friends before school starts, so that I'm not forced to sit alone on the first day.

"The one right next door. It looks just like this one." He said with the same enthusiasm he had had since we got here. I had never seen my dad so happy. It was actually really refreshing.

I made my way to the front door and walked to the front door of my new neighbor's house. I hesitated for a moment scared that I would make a bad first impression, and then rang the door bell.

A girl about my age answered the door. She was about my height maybe an inch or two taller, which put her at 5"3 or 5"4. She had really long, wavy brown hair with bangs to the side, and large plastic, black framed glasses. Her face was round, and she was a wearing a burnt orange high low dress, cowgirl boots, and a dark denim jacket. I could see why my father said she reminded him of me. Her style was kind of similar to mine.

She smiled at me, and stepped outside. "Hello" she said politely.

"Hi, I'm Clare…" I said extending my hand.

She shook my hand and said "Oh…Mr. Edwards's daughter right?" she said welcomingly

"Yeah … that's me". I smiled.

"I've heard so much about you… "She said sweetly.

"All good things I hope" I said jokingly.

"Well of course" she laughed a little."Oh how rude of me. Would you like to come in?" she said.

"Sure" I said timidly.

She led me into her living room which was set up very similar to my fathers.

"Oh… and I'm Lucy by the way… I'm sorry I didn't start with that." she said.

She led me to the couch, and gestured for me to sit while she sat on a chair within speaking range.

"So…Clare, are you excited to be living with your dad?"

"Yeah, it should be a fun time." I said. "That reminds me. What kind of things are there to do around here?" I asked curiously.

"Well… let me think… we have an amusement park where most kids our age spend almost their entire summer. We have the beach, and that's always fun. We have average things like the mall and the movies. There are more things I'm sure, but that's how I spend most of my time." She says jokingly.

"There is an amusement park?" I asked Lucy.

"Yeah, it's nothing special. It's just somewhere to hang out… we could go sometime if you want. It would probably be good for you to meet some more people" Lucy said smiling.

"That would be great, thanks."I say smiling back at her.

"Clare, we should go online and check your schedule."

Before I could say anything she got up, grabbed my arm and pulled me into the room that was mine in my dad's house. She stops at a white desk that sits down. She logs on to her computer, and goes on to the internet.

She asks me my birthday, and somehow gets to my schedule. I watch as she scans it over.

"Wow, did you choose your schedule?" she asked surprised.

"Um, yeah I think I did a couple months ago why?" I asked curiously

"You took on quite a big work load". She said

"Two Advanced placement classes?"

"I guess, why?"

Those are hard classes, Clare." She said looking at me with wide eyes.

"But hey, we have a lot of classes together, two on A day, and 3 on B day."

"Aren't there only like four classes a day?" I ask.

"Yes… Four on A and four on B, We have the block schedule so we have classes every other day."

"So, what do we have together?" I ask anxiously.

"Chemistry, AP history, Journalism, Geometry, and French"

I looked at her and smiled. I was really happy to have someone that I would know on the first day. I suck at making new friends by myself, but maybe with Lucy's help I can be friends with her friend.

"Hey Lucy, you have a cell phone right?" I ask already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, you want to exchange numbers?" she asks.

I nod, and we switch phones. I type my name into her phone, and she does the same with mine.

We switch phones back, and I notice that my dad is calling. I answer the phone.

"Hey dad. What's up?"

"Hey Clare, the food is done, it's time to come home. I have a surprise". He said excitedly.

"K, be there in a few."

"Hey Lucy, I have to get going. Thanks so much. It was really great meeting you. "

She walked me to the door, and said "text me if you've got any questions or if you want to make plans to hang." She said sincerely.

I walked back over to my dad's house, and walked in the door. I saw that there was a boy sitting at the dining room table. I thought for a moment I was in the wrong house, but then I saw my dad coming out of the kitchen behind a woman that I don't know.

"Dad? What's going on?" I said confused.


	2. Chapter 2

"Surprise!" he said with a grin.

I looked at him puzzled and walked further in.

"Clare, this is my Fiancé Kathleen, and her son Campbell."

I opened my eyes widely "Your what?" I asked shocked.

"My fiancé" he said again.

The woman whose name was Kathleen I guess, turned to my father and said. "You didn't tell her?" very stunned.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She said turning to me.

Her son was sitting at the table smiling. He seemed to find my shock quite amusing.

"Clare… I'm sorry to lay all this on you." My father said to me.

"Kathleen and Campbell live here, and I should have warned you… But just think of it as gaining a new family…"

"Cause that worked so well when mom got married" I said angrily. I ran to my new room, and slammed the door shut. I cried into a pillow on my bed, until I heard my door open.

"Clare… are you okay?"

I looked up to see the auburn haired woman walking into my room.

"I'm really sorry to surprise you like this. Your father said he would tell you before you got here." She said sincerely.

She sat on the end of my bed, and looked at me with earnest eyes.

"Clare. I just want you to know I understand if you are mad. I would be too, but I want you to know that I am looking forward to being your step mom. I always wanted a daughter, and I know that you have a mother, but maybe for this year we can be friends?"

I appreciated that she was trying, and she seemed a lot more interested in what I thought then Glen did, and I haven't even said anything yet.

"It's not your fault my dad is a dope…" I said trying to lighten the mood.

She started laughing mildly.

She smiled at me, and got up. "We are all out there when you're ready."

I wait a few minutes, and go out to the dining room. I sit at the empty chair, and say "Hi" to everyone.

"Clare, this is my son Campbell" I heard Kathleen say.

"Hi Campbell" I said awkwardly to the boy sitting across the table.

"Hi" he replied shyly with a little grin.

He had a baby face with really bushy eyebrows. His hair was kind of long, but didn't cover his eyes. He had a really small frame, and couldn't be taller than 5'5. I was guessing he was maybe thirteen, but wouldn't be surprised if he was older.

"Campbell is starting his freshman year at Lake View." His mom says trying to break the awkward silence. No one knew what to say, and my outburst didn't help that.

I finally spoke up. "Are you excited to start school?" I had no idea what to say, and this kid was obviously really quiet.

"Yeah" he said quickly.

"So, Clare would you like some salad?" I heard Kathleen ask.

I looked her way and smile. "Sure".

It's kind of funny. Campbell looks a lot like his mother. They have the same face shape, the same nose, and the same lips. Her eye brows were not bushy like his so I guessed that he might have gotten that trait from his father.

She dished out some salad on to my plate, and I looked at the food that lay on the table. There was salad, and then what appeared to be stuffed shells. They were covered in Cheese, and sauce to the point where I couldn't be sure.

I ate my salad, and excused myself politely from the table. The silence was awkward, and my father didn't say two words, so I decided to start unpacking. I put a few of my favorite books on my bookshelf, and organized my clothing into what would go in drawers and what would go in the closet. I heard a knock on the door. I turned around.

"Come in…" I said politely.

My father walked in with an apologetic look. "Clare, I'm really sorry. I realize that was not a good surprise."

"It's fine dad. Can I just ask you something… How long have you been with Kathleen?" I ask curiously.

"About a year and a half" he said confidently.

My parent had gotten divorced two years ago, and my mom got remarried five months after. I was a lot more okay with the thought of people getting married after being together for at least a year. Thank goodness one of my parents wasn't insanely fast moving with relationships.

I bit my lip. "Do you love her?"

"Yes Clare, I do very much. She is a wonderful woman, and I think that you will get along with her very well".

"I'm sure I will too dad." I say as sincerely as possible.

"I'll let you get back to your unpacking now."He said as he walked out of the room.

I didn't have too much to unpack. I brought most of my clothing, for summer and fall weather, but left my winter and spring wardrobe back in Canada. I figure I could bring some more after every visit back home until I had what I needed. I was supposed to visit my mom every two weeks, and stay with her for a weekend. In the end it would be a lot of wasted time in the car, but I had to see my mom. I had been here in Erie for a few hours, and I already miss my mom and my friends.

I think for a moment wondering what my mom is doing without me. She, Glen, and Jake are probably having the time of their life without me. I know I'm happy to be away from Jake. He was the reason I asked to move in with my dad. I can't get over him. He was my first boyfriend and although I had dated KC last year, I was still not over Jake.

I know he is my step brother and all, but we dated before our parents did. I started dating him before eighth grade right after my parents' divorce, and he broke up with me after a couple of months after my mom married his dad. Watching Jake with other girls made me cringe, but since I lived with him I was forced to watch as he brought his various girlfriends into my home. He flaunted them in front of me like he was trying to break me, and after he started dating Jenna, the skank that KC cheated on me with, I broke. I decided then that after my freshman year at Degrassi I would be moving in with my father.

I felt my phone vibrate in the pocket of my denim dress, and shook my head out of thought. I took it from my pocket, and saw that it was a text from Lucy.

"Hey Clare. My friends and I are going to the mall to buy some school clothes tomorrow. You wanna come?"

I text her back "I'll ask my dad, but yeah I think that would be great".

I walk out into the living room where my dad, and Campbell are watching television.

"Hey dad, Lucy asked me if I would go to the mall with her and her friends tomorrow to get school clothes. Can I go?"

My dad turns to me."So I take it you guys hit it off? Yeah you can go. Do you need money?"

"Yeah"

My dad reaches into his wallet and pulls out a fifty dollar bill. It is so different from what I am used to. It looks nothing like the money I am used to. I grab the strange bill from his hand, and say "Thank you" and walk back into my room.

I text Lucy that I can go, and she responds within seconds with "K great. My mom will drive. Be ready at noon."

"Alright" I respond. I quickly open a new text to her. "Hey one thing, how well do you know Campbell?"I was very curious about this boy I would have to live with.

She texted back "Campbell Saunders is on a junior minor ice hockey league. He is like amazing. He used to live in a worse neighborhood, but when your dad and Kathleen got engaged they bought the house. He is a nice kid. Not real talkative though."

"Okay, thanks… I just wanted to know a bit about him. Can you believe that my father didn't tell me that he had a fiancé until I came back from your house?"

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" she texted back.

"Yeah" I texted her back.

Our last couple texts were just saying variations of "good night, seeya tomorrow."

I continued to put my clothing away. When I was done I noticed that between the dressers and the closet, I had a lot of extra room. All of my clothes at home would easily fit here. I put my last couple items away, and set my laptop on top of my shorter dresser.

I looked at the time on my phone, and realized it was nearing 8 o clock.

I went back out of my room, and sat with my dad, Campbell, and now Kathleen.

"Hi Clare" my dad said once I plopped down on the love seat next to Campbell.

Kathleen was sitting in the corner reading a book, while my dad and Campbell were still watching TV.

"Hi guys… how are you?" I said not really knowing what to say to these knew people that I didn't know.

Kathleen put her book mark in her book, and looked up at me smiling. I could see my dad and her were happy I was coming around to things. Campbell on the other hand was still just sitting there. I don't know if he felt like I was interfering with his life, or if he is really just that distant, but I knew that if this living arrangement would work he would need to be a bit friendlier.

My dad responded. "We are good... How is the unpacking coming?" he asked attentively

"I just finished actually" I responded with a fake smile.

The door bell rang and it startled me. Campbell got up, and answered it. He smiled as three guys walked through the door, high fiving or fist bumping them as they entered. They all looked older than him by a few years. One looked my age while two more looked older than me.

Kathleen got up and looked at Campbell and his friends. "Introduce your friends to Clare" she said annoyed that he hadn't already done so.

"Okay… Guys this is Clare, and Clare these are my friends Dallas, Drew, and Brett" he says quickly and annoyed. They run up the stairs, and I am left sitting with my father and Kathleen.

"I'm sorry about Cam. All of this change has taken quite a toll on him." She says sincerely.

She sits back down in her rocking chair.

I nod to acknowledge that I heard her, and said "Where exactly are they going?"

She looks at me confused.

"I didn't see what was up there yet". I say nicely.

"Randall, you didn't even give her a tour of her new home?" She said accusingly, but at the same time playfully.

"It must have slipped my mind." He said still watching the TV.

"Well, I'll show you." She said getting out of her chair again… follow me."

She starts walking toward the stairs, and I get up."No, I don't want to bother them. I can see it later."

"Don't be silly. They can deal. We walk up the stairs, and the first thing I see is a window and a door to the left of the stairs. She opens the door, and shows me a bathroom. It has the same dark blue tile as the one downstairs, but the walls are a light grey instead of white tile like in the one downstairs. There is a white pedestal sink to the left with a toilet next to it, and a glass encased shower next to that. It is a narrow room that is about 4 feet by 9 feet.

"This is the upstairs restroom," she says before turning back into the large room where the boys were sitting. There was a table with chairs to the right of the stairs, and a large blue sectional behind that where the Cam and his friends were playing a video game on a flat screen. On the right side of the room there was a computer desk with a desktop. We walked further into the room in to the path way between the computer, and sectional.

Cam's friends all looked at me as we stopped, and Kathleen said "This here is the family room."

She pointed at the door that was behind her, and said "that is my and your dad's room, but it's kind of a mess right now."

She starts walking toward the stairs. "I'm going to head back down, but you are more than welcome to hang out up here."

"Do you guys have wifi?" I asked as she walks down the first step. I can still see her, over the three foot wall surrounding the stairs. She pauses, and looks up at me. "We don't, but that computer has internet. You can use it if you want". She says gesturing to the desk top.

"Okay. I'm going to check my email, and face range if that's all right?" I say biting my lip.

"Of course, feel free to use it whenever." She said smiling, and starting back down the stairs.

I turn, and sit at the computer desk. It was already on, but asked for a password. I rotated the swivel chair so that I was facing the boys.

"Hey Campbell" I said trying to move his attention from the game that two of his friends were playing.

He looked up at me "Yeah?" he asked in a surprisingly nice way.

"What's the password for this?" I asked nicely gesturing at the computer.

"Oh… um….RKJDCC59" he says with a small grin.

I log on to the computer, and then onto my facerange account. I notice that I have a new friend request from Lucy. I accept her request, and see that my best friend Alli is online.

I open a chat window, and start chatting with her. Alli tells me she already misses me a ton, and alerts me of a rumor she heard that Jenna is pregnant with Jakes baby. I open my mouth shocked at the message, and she messages me again this time making a joke at how she deserves it for being such a whore. I laugh at the joke.

"Talking to your boyfriend?" one of Cams friends ask me in a flirty way.


	3. Chapter 3

"No… Just my best friend" I say still looking at the screen.

"So is there a boyfriend back home?" I hear the same voice ask.

I blush, but keep looking at the screen. I didn't know which of his friends it was, but they were all relatively attractive from what I had seen.

"Nope… no boyfriend" I say still looking at the screen to hide my blushing cheeks.

"Wow, pretty girl like you with no boyfriend" he says flirtatiously.

I just keep watching the screen, hoping that the screens brightness blocks out my incredibly red face.

"How about I try to change that" He says getting up, and standing behind my chair.

I take a deep breath, and try my best to turn my face back to a normal color before turning around.

I swivel the chair and see one of the guys who looked a little older.

"Hi, my name is Drew. What do you say? You, me, dinner and a movie, Sunday?"

I smile, and say "Sure" to the dark haired, tan skinned boy. He was tall, muscular, and very handsome. He looked similar to Taylor Lautner, and it just so happens that I am a huge Twilight fan.

"K, pick you up seven" he says confidently.

"K" I say turning my chair back to the screen just to log off of my facerange, and head downstairs.

I go into my room close the door, and smile widely. I can't believe that just happened. Get my cell phone out, and call Alli. It rings twice before she answers.

"Hello"

"Hi Alli" I say excitedly

"What's up?" Alli asks in confusion.

"I just had the weirdest day ever." I say happily.

"Well, I guess that's a good weird?" she asks.

"I guess. Well when I first got here I met my neighbor Lucy, and she is really nice, so I was hanging out with her, and I am not kidding she is a lot like me. It's crazy. Anyway when I got home my dad surprised me with his fiancé and her son, and gets this Alli they live here in this house with me and my dad…"

"OMG Clare. Why didn't he tell you?" she asked shocked.

"Because my dad is clueless, but then her son Campbell had some friends over, and one of them asked me out on a date. He is totally cute, and he looks like Taylor Lautner". I said jumping up and down.

"Well… I take it you like Erie?" she asks

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be, but I'm already missing you so much" I say.

"I miss you too, but this year will be over before you know it." She said reassuringly

"Clare, guess what!"She asks enthusiastically.

"What?" I ask

"Rumor confirmed. Jenna is pregnant" she said.

"Oh my goodness, how?" I ask.

"Dave heard them talking about it at the dot, and texted me."

"No way!"

"Yes way! And by the sounds of it, they are telling your mom and Glen like now."

I start laughing hysterically."This is too good."

"OMG I know. I have to go though Clare. My mom wants me to get back in a school sleep schedule". She says annoyed.

"K Bye Alli"

When we hang up the phone I see that it was now 10 o clock. I go into the dresser, and grab a tank top, underwear, and bed shorts. It was around 89 degrees Fahrenheit here, and I had been sweating in my dress.

I find my bag with toiletries, and go to the downstairs bathroom. I shower, and by force of habit I find myself singing. I stop because I don't want to disturb anyone else in the house. When I am done showering, I wrap my towel around me, and dry off. I wrap my second towel around my hair. I reach into my bag, and pull out my pink tooth brush. I use some of the toothpaste I found in the medicine cabinet, and brushed my teeth. When I am done I put my tooth brush into the holder next to the one I assume is Campbell's.

I put my pajamas on, and walk out of the bathroom holding my empty toiletry bag, my towels, and my used clothing.

I walk the six feet into my room, and hang my towels on the hooks on my closet door. I put my clothes in one of my empty suitcases, and figure it can be a makeshift hamper.

I look at my phone, and realize that it is now 11. I decide that I am tired, so I brush my shoulder length chestnut hair, and put it in a pony. I turn off the overhead light grab a book, and sit in bed reading. I make it to the third chapter when there is a knock at my door.

"Come in" I say expecting either my dad or Kathleen.

To my surprise Campbell walked in.

"Hi?"I said confused at what he was doing in my room.

"Clare… I don't think you should go out with Drew." He says nervously.

"Why?" I ask.

"Well… He just wants to get in your pants." He says like ripping a bandage off.

"Excuse me?" I say blushing.

He grinned a little at my shock. "I think you heard what I said."

"Okay, but how do you know?" I asked

"After you came back down he was saying that you were really hot, and…" his voice trailed off.

"Okay, let me get this straight. Because he finds me attractive that means he is trying to get into my pants."

"Clare, any guy would want to get into your pants, but… That came out wrong" he said nervously.

I found myself blushing.

He took a deep breath."Drew is just a player. He's the guy that gets good girls like you to sleep with him, and then never calls them back." He said anxiously.

"I'm trying to protect you." He said sitting down on the bottom corner of my bed.

"Well… I don't think that you need to protect me. I'm not stupid. I'm not going to sleep with him unless I want to."

"Clare, please... don't". He said as his brown eyes looked at my blue ones. He looked like he was genuinely worried about me, but I couldn't figure out why. I just met this kid today, and already he was trying to protect me from his jerk off friends.

"Honestly Campbell, why do you care what I do? You don't even know me." I asked annoyed.

"I care because… I don't know… I just do. He's gonna make you want to sleep with him, and then you will, and then… he will break your heart." He said.

"Campbell, I really don't mean to be rude, but you can't tell me what to do with my life." I say snapping at him.

"Why don't you ask other girls what they think about Drew? I'm telling you Clare he's not who you want to be with."

I get off of my bed, and stand in the middle of my room with my arms across my chest.

"Who pray tell do you recommend I ask?" I say pissed off that he thinks he can tell me what to do.

"Any one, Clare he is a skeeze." He says completely seriously.

I smile at the fact that he just said the word skeeze. "He's a skeeze?" I say uncrossing my arms.

Campbell looks down, and smiles before looking back up at me. I notice that his eyes stop at my chest. I quickly cross my arms again, and he sees that I noticed. I glare at him angrily.

"I am so sorry. I am so gross. I'm such a pig. I am sorry. Oh god, I'm disgusting. You are going to be my step sister in like two months. I'm such a si…"

I cut him off. "Its fine, you're not. It's not a big deal." I said sitting next to him on my bed.

"I need to know though. Is this why you don't want me to go out with Drew?" I ask nicely.

He smirks at me. "No…he really is a jerk. He was telling us what he wanted to do to you, and I wanted to puke".

"Okay… enough said. I will break the date, but I need you to know that nothing can ever happen between us. I've been down this road, and it doesn't end well." I say rubbing his back as he stared downward.

He looked up at me confused. "What do you mean?"

I took a deep breath, and started playing with my fingers. "Well, that's why I'm here. I was dating my mom's boyfriends son, and then a couple months after our parent's got married, we had… sex" I whispered the last word, and it made tears emerge from my eyes. Tears started to fall like a water fall, and I continued "and he dumped me, and I couldn't get over it." My voice cracked.

He put his arm around me because I was crying my eyes out. I can't believe that I told him about Jake. I hadn't told anyone the truth about what happened between me, and Jake, not even Alli.

"That's awful. Why would anyone ever break up with you" He said trying to comfort me. He put his other arm around me embracing me in a hug, and I dug my head in his shoulder.

"I'm so pathetic. I am stuck on some jerk that I dated in grade eight. I was too young". I cry.

"Clare you are not pathetic. He stole your innocence, and you have every right to not want to see or hear from him ever again." He hugged me tighter, and I wrapped my arms around him and it felt right. I kept crying into his shoulder, and he was rubbing my back.

I pulled away from his warm embrace, and looked into his big brown eyes that were filled with sadness for me. A rush of lust came over me, and I went for his lips forcefully. He moved his lips in sync with mine for a minute or so before I tried to take it a step further. I shoved my tongue into his mouth, and we moved our tongues back and forth, and we lay on my bed in a pretty heavy make out session.

I lay on top of him with my left leg between his when I feel his erection on my thigh. I come up for air and straddle his waste. I grab his hands in my own, and bring them to my tank top covered chest. I squeeze his hands over my breasts to sort of guide him through it. He squeezes, but his hands are shaking uncontrollably.

I look down at a terrified Campbell, and can't believe what I have done. I get off of him quickly. I put my hand on my head and pace back and forth across the room nervously. My jaw by now has dropped into a shocked expression.

I turn to look at him now sitting up on my bed. "Campbell, I am so sorry."

"I can't believe I did that… I am a terrible person."

"I'm worse than Jake. I probably just traumatized you for life." I said still pacing frantically.

"Oh my gosh, I am so stupid." I said once I finally stopped pacing.

I looked at Cam. He was sitting on my bed composing himself.

He bit his lip, and furrowed his thick eyebrows. He looked really confused, and it was my fault.

I sat on the bed next to him, and grabbed his hands."Cam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mess with your head, or anything of the sort. I was caught up in the moment, and vulnerable. I have never told anyone about what happened with Jake, and you were there, and you obviously…"

He pulled his hands away, and interrupted "Clare, just stop."

He stood up. "I know I'm a year younger than you, but I am not a little kid. That was not my first kiss. I can't say that in my fourteen years I have had a make out session that hot… nor can I say I've made it to second base before tonight, but you are not as bad as a guy who took advantage of a thirteen year old girl. I didn't exactly stop you." He said to reassure me I wasn't as bad as Jake.

I bit my lips so hard that I nearly drew blood."Stop being so nice Campbell. I'm pretty sure I ruined any chance of having a purely platonic brother, sister relationship."

"Clare, like you said we were caught up in the moment. Let's just pretend it never happened. Deal?" he asked being way more mature about this than I was being.

"Deal" I said shaking his hand.

"Now it's 1:30 AM, and I have hockey practice at 6, so I have to go to bed, but this never leaves this room." He said as he walked across the hall to his room shutting the door behind him.

I lay on my bed, and turned off the table lamp. I thought to myself about how much of a whore I had become since my first time when I was thirteen and a half. I didn't give it up to KC because I was scared that he would leave me like Jake did, but I made out with him after two dates. Then there was today where I knew Cam for barely a few hours when I tried to jump him. I am a terrible person. Before my parents were divorced I was actually really religious, but I lost a lot of that. I still believe in god, I just don't follow the commandments so much. I keep thinking until I fall into a deep sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, so I really hate this chapter, and it's shorter than I have been writing for this story. I know this chapter blows, but I needed a transition day. I know the characters that aren't on degrassi are kind of two dimensional, but that should change when school starts. I really love those of you who reviewed, and all of you really. Thanks for taking the time to read, and review. It means a lot. I love suggestions and feedback. Thank you!**

**I Do not own degrassi**

I wake up to my phone buzzing. I had set my alarm for 9 o clock. I got dressed, and did my makeup for the day. The inside door of my closet had a long mirror that facilitated my makeup application. I looked in the mirror at my floral flowy tank, and my dark wash Capri pants.

By the time I was ready for the day it was closer to 9:30. I walked out of my room to see my dad and Kathleen at the dining room table reading the paper, and drinking coffee.

"Hi guys." I say politely, sitting down with them.

"Hi Clare" Kathleen says. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes" I said with a fake smile. Being around them after last night made me nervous.

"I'm gonna check my facerange, I say while getting up from the table. I run up the stairs to the computer which is luckily already logged on because I don't remember what the password is. I open up facerange, and log on. I have more new friend requests, one from each of Cams friends, and Cam himself. I add all of them, and then post a cancelation of our date on Drew's page. I go on to Cam's page, and look at his pictures. He has a lot of pictures with his hockey team. He must be really good, because all of the other guys are a lot older.

I smile as I see a picture of Cam without his hockey gear. He was smiling, and his eyes were gorgeous.

I close the page quickly trying to expel the thought of last night from my brain. The thought won't quit so I come to terms with them. I have a crush on my future step brother. He is a year and a half younger than me, and I practically mauled him last night. It doesn't matter how much I want him, nothing can happen.

I go back down stairs just in time to see Cam getting back from practice. He walked in the door a bandage wrapped around his hand.

"Oh no Cam what happened?" I hear my dad ask.

"I was distracted, and had a skate mishap." He looked at his mom, my dad, and then me. He smiled at me, and then carried his bag into his room.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a text from Lucy. "If you are ready you can come over. We are just about ready to go".

I decided I would go over instead of replying. I told my dad where I was going, and walked over to Lucy's door. I rang the bell, and a woman in her late forties to early fifties answered.

"Hello, you must be Clare."

"Yes, that's me" I say smiling widely.

"I'm Debby, Lucy's mom." She said letting me in to the home. She was shorter than me by a few inches, and had dark brown hair. She and her daughter looked nothing alike. She had a more square face, and a different nose.

"Lucy!" Debby yelled, and then Lucy emerged from her room.

"Hey Clare, Are you ready to go shopping?" she said excitedly.

I smile, and nod.

We get into her moms car, and pick up two of her Lucy's friends on the way to the mall. She introduces them to me briefly by saying "Clare, these are my friends Lindsey and April. Linds and April this is my new neighbor Clare. She is starting school with us this year… I think she is in your homeroom April.

"Hi" I say to the girls nervously.

They greet me back with smiles, and I feel a little better.

Lucy turns the radio up, and they all start singing quite loudly to the now top 40.

I smiled at their craziness. It reminded me of me and Alli. We would always blast music when my mom would take us anywhere, and sing badly the whole way.

The girl named Lindsey who was sitting in the middle seat next to mine had long dark blonde hair, and from what I could see blue eyes. April was really tall, and had light blonde hair. Her hair was about to her shoulders, and wavy. They were both dressed in denim shorts and T-shirts.

Over the next ten minutes Lucy revealed that I was from Canada, and they asked me a few questions about it. They asked if there were cute boys in Canada, and if it was really cold as well as various other things. I answered their questions and felt a lot more comfortable around them. We pulled up to the mall, and left the air conditioned car into a humid parking lot.

We walked to the doors which read Food Court Entrance. The mall was not huge, but from the map on the wall I could see that it was definitely not small. We headed to a few stores, and got various clothing items that fit into the schools dress code. I got a couple polos, a few skirts, a pair of pants, and a sweater for school, and we went to the food court and waited for Lucy's mother to pick us back up.

I got along with Lindsey, April, and Lucy really well, but it did make me miss Alli a lot. The people around here seem really nice, and hopefully school will be fun.

Lucy's mom gets to the mall, and we all go to our homes. When I get home my dad's car is gone, but the door is unlocked. I walk in to see Cam and his friends in the living room being obnoxious. I probably just moved into their hangout house. There were more boys than yesterday, and Drew was there. He stopped horsing around just long enough to see me coming in.

"Why did you cancel our date?" He asks accusingly.

I was not thrilled with his tone, and gave him a sour face. I saw Cam behind him, his eyes pleading with me. I realize what he is doing, and put my hand on my hip preparing myself to reply. "Well I heard from a few of the girls I met that you were a jerk, and didn't want to wait around to find out for myself." I said confidently.

"Who was it?" He said aggravated.

"None of your business" I say before walking away into my room.

I hear the guys start laughing at him, and taunting him.

I close my bedroom door, and put my new clothes away.

I sit in my room a couple of hours reading a book, and texting Alli. Before I know it I fall asleep. I wake up in the middle of the night and see that it is 3 AM and I'm still in my day clothing. I change into some pj's and go back to bed.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey Clare" I hear Kathleen yell my name from another part of the house. I get up from my bed groggily to find her. On my way I look at my phone, and see that it is 9 AM. She is in the living room with Cam.

I smile at her waiting for what she has to say, and she smiles back at me.

"Good morning. Clare, your dad had a little emergency at the office, but I was wondering if you would like to go with Cam and I to the festival by the bay today?" she says endearingly.

I think for a moment and look at Cam who is sitting on the love seat smiling innocently waiting for my reply. It makes my heart flutter.

"Ugh… yeah. That sounds like fun" I say with a grin.

"Great. Can you be ready in an hour?" Kathleen asks.

"Yeah" I say nodding before walking into my room to get ready. I grab my towels, and hop into the shower. I get dressed in a pair of light denim short shorts, a navy tank, and a ¾ length white button down with Navy and turquoise vertical stripes.

I finish getting ready with ten minutes left to spare. I walk out of my room, and into the kitchen where Kathleen is looking for her car keys. She is wearing a t-shirt and a pair of Capri pants.

"Oh good, you're ready" she says nicely. Since I have gotten here I have noticed that Kathleen is really nice, but she is almost too nice. I know I've only been here for a few days, but I'm still confused at how she is so smiley all the time.

She found her keys, and then said "Clare, could you get Campbell from his room? I'm going to lock up." She said once again with a smile. I nod and make my way to the hall between our bedrooms. I knock on the door, and here Cam say "hold on a minute mom!" in a semi irritated voice.

"I'm not your mom, but get your butt out here" I say jokingly.

"Sorry… Hold on a sec" he said in a nicer way.

I open his door to see what was taking him so long, and gasp at what I see.

Cam was sitting on his bed with a razor in hand cutting his wrist.

"What are you doing?" I ask in a shocked voice walking into his room closing the door behind me.

"It's nothing" he says quickly covering up his mutilated wrist, and dropping the razor.

"Cam, that is not nothing" I say walking over to him, and sitting next to him.

"What's going on?" I ask him as calmly as I can.

"Nothing, I've been doing this for a long time." He said acting like it was no big deal.

"But why?" I ask concerned.

"I just get sad sometimes." He says still acting like its nothing.

"Campbell. You can't do this. You could get seriously hurt." I say starting to tear up for him.

"Clare, you don't understand" he said meanly.

"Hey are you guys coming?" Kathleen yells.

"Yeah Mom" Cam yells back getting up from his bed, and putting a band aid over his bleeding arm.

"Please, don't tell her Clare." He said pleading with me.

"I won't tell her" I say quietly regretting it right after.

We exit the room, and head to his moms car. We both sit in the back of the car, and Kathleen pulls out of the driveway. She turns the radio on to a solid rock station, and she drives without saying a word.

When we get to the festival she lets Cam, and I out while she finds a place to park.

"They always have really good live music here" Cam says pretending that I had not seen him cutting himself.

I furrow my eyebrows, and look sadly at the unstable boy who stands in front of me.

"Clare, can we just forget it?" he asked turning his back to me harshly.

"No, we can't just forget about it" I say grabbing his shoulder to stop him from walking away.

I see Kathleen walking up to us, and let go of his shoulder quickly.

"Hey guys. Ready to have some fun?" Kathleen asks happily

Cam and I both look at her, and nod.

"Hey mom, I see some of my friends over there. Can I go hang with them?"

"No Cam. Your brother, Kristine, and the baby are waiting for us." She says sternly, as he rolls his eyes.

I look at her confused, and she smiles at me "My eldest son Justin is here. I thought we could all sit and listen to the music as a family."

"Oh…" I said.

She starts walking toward the area where people were sitting on blankets listening, and we followed her. She stops at a blanket with three people on it. There was a couple in their early twenties, and a little girl around the age of one. The man was holding the little girl. He had a shorter hair cut, and a longer face, but was obviously Cams brother, and Kathleen's son. The woman was really tan, and she had dark brown hair with dark blonde highlights. The baby had light blonde hair, and was one of the cutest little things I had ever seen.

"Hello. Hand me my baby" Kathleen said smiling.

Cam rolled his eyes as Kathleen picked up the baby, and turned to us.

"Clare, this is my son Justin, his wife Kristine, and their daughter Amanda." She said smiling.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Clare."

"Ooh… Did Cam finally get himself a girlfriend?" the man asked teasingly.

I shook my head, and Cam glared at his brother "Oh god no!" Kathleen said quickly and shocked.

"Clare is Randall's youngest. She is staying with us this year." Kathleen said.

"Sorry Clare. Didn't mean to insult you" Justin said jokingly.

I smiled "Why exactly is that an insult?" I asked confused.

"Never mind" he said chuckling to himself.

Cam sat down on the ground, and rolled his eyes again, while Kristine got up, and held her hand out for me to shake. I shook her hand, and she smiled. "Hi Clare, you can call me Kristy." She said still smiling.

She let go of my hand and sat back down next to her husband. I looked over at Kathleen who was holding the baby. I walked over to her and the baby, and played with the baby for a few minutes. She was accepting to me for as young as she was. She let me hold her after only 10 minutes, and wouldn't let me put her down.

"She is so adorable. How old is she?" I say to Kristine and Justin.

"She's 15 months" I hear Kristy say. While turning around to give the baby back to Kathleen I see that Campbell is sitting on the ground moping a few feet away. I walk over to where he is seated, and plop down next to him.

"What?" He asks me annoyed. I look at him wondering what I did wrong.

"What did I do?" I ask him.

"Nothing." He said irritated.

"Well I obviously did something?" I ask starting to get aggravated.

"No… You didn't I just can't stand my brother."

I look into his eyes, but look away quickly in fear of creating an awkward romantic moment. I scoot away from him a couple inches, and he looks over at me.

"I feel you there bro" I say punching him in the arm awkwardly.

"My sister Darcy and I used to fight all the time."

"Used to?" he asked confused.

"Yeah… She's dead" I say fighting back tears.

Cams eyes get wide. "Oh, Clare I'm so sorry. What happened?"He asked nervously.

"I don't really want to talk about it" I say as a tear starts to fall. I wipe it away quickly, and stand up.

He follows quickly, and says "Mom, can I show Clare around the bay?"

Kathleen preoccupied with the baby said "Sure"

Cam looked at me, and grabbed my arm. He pulled me down a hill to a playground covered with kids and teenagers goofing off.

"This is the park. Whenever there is something fun going on down here it is always filled to the brim"

We start walking toward the water on a path lined with different food, and craft vendors. The path cuts off about twenty feet from the rocks leading to the water, but we don't. We make it all the way to a group of boulders descending into the water. He climbs down three boulders, and grabs my hand to help me follow him.

We sit next to each other on a large rock looking at the water. There are four sail boats in the water, and the sun is in its mid day position.

We sit there watching the water in all its beauty for quite a while, but then I gulp loudly and say "She killed herself".

He turned to me confused, and I clarify "Darcy… she committed suicide".

He gave me a sad look, and I decided I should tell him the story in its entirety.

"When she was 16, and I was 11, she went to a party and was raped" I choked out. "No one knew, but her best friend." I swallowed and a tear fell down my cheek "She got really sad all the time, and eventually she couldn't take it anymore" I took a deep breath trying to compose myself. "She started cutting herself, but when I found out she made me swear I wouldn't tell." I started crying really hard, and it was getting hard to speak. "When that didn't help anymore… she… decided she was done. She cut herself deeper than ever before, and… and I found her in our room… gone".

I started bawling my eyes out, whispering "It's all my fault. I should have told someone" he wrapped his arm around me trying really hard to comfort me.

"Clare, it was not your fault" he said still trying to console me.

"I'm… sorry… I shouldn't be laying all this on you" I say looking at him with my tear filled eyes.

He wiped my tears away with his hand. "It's okay Clare." He says nervously.

I shake my head. "It's not okay Cam. I am sorry, but I have to tell your mom or someone about this" I say grabbing his arm.

I keep shaking my head and say "I know I said that I wouldn't, but I have to Cam. You need help"

He opens his mouth to object, but words don't come out. He shakes his head back and forth.

"I have to. I'm not going to let you end up like her." I say trying to convince him it's the right choice.

"I won't. I'll stop Clare. I promise I will. Please, just don't tell my mom." He said persuasively.

"Cam please" I beg him to agree with me. He shakes his head.

"Do you know how disappointed my mom would be? It would crush her" he said sadly.

"Cam, I'm really worried, and I can't make this mistake again. If you feel that sad, you need to talk to someone."I say in a sweet voice.

He looks at me skeptically, but then chokes out the word "okay".

I look at him with a sad closed mount grin, and nod.

"We don't have to do it today, or even tomorrow. Whenever you are ready to tell someone… I'll be there for you." I say reassuringly, patting the back of a stressed out Cam.

"And in the mean time, if you feel upset, you can talk to me about it." I say trying to comfort him.

We sit there looking at the water until we are both calm enough to resume conversation. The subject is changed to the much lighter topic of school. Cam then changes the subject to hockey, and tells me that he hates it.

"Why do you play, if you hate it?" I ask curiously.

"Justin played, and I'm good at it. My mom would be mad if I asked to quit." He says with a frown.

"I don't think you give your mom enough credit. She has been nothing but nice to me since I got here, and she loves you." I say nudging his shoulder.

"I know she does, but she expects me to be like Justin, and I'm not. I don't like the stupid guys on my team. I don't like having bad a reputation by association. I'm not like them." He said sweetly.

"Well that's obvious, if you were you wouldn't have warned me about Drew." I say smiling. I instantly regret bringing up my first night here. It was a few days ago, but I'm sure Cam doesn't want to think about that. I acted completely inappropriately, and I regret it completely. Since that night I couldn't stop thinking about Campbell in that way, and it was driving me crazy.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up" I say awkwardly.

He smirks with a small chuckle at my awkwardness "It's alright Clare".

I Look back at the water, and think for something to say.

"So… what do you like to do around here?" I ask not knowing what to say.

"Well… It's kind of lame, but I spend a lot of free time at museums. This town has some pretty interesting history." He says embarrassed.

"You're kidding! You like museums?" I say smiling.

"I know it's lame, but yeah…" he laughs.

I look at him excitedly with a wide grin. "It's not lame at all. I love museums!" I say overly happy.

"Well we will have to make a day of it. We have so many around here." He says surprised that I'm so enthusiastic.

"You have to go to the beach before school starts" he says.

I shake my head "I don't want to go to the beach."

He drops his jaw. "What?" he asks shocked.

"I don't do bathing suits, or sand in awkward places" I laugh.

He rolls his eyes at me and shakes his head. "Why don't you do bathing suits Clare?" he asks expecting an answer.

"Are you serious?" I ask like it's not obvious.

"Yes" He said seriously moving his head in an overly dramatic bob.

"I'm pale, and I look gross in bathing suits." I say blushing.

He looks at me. "That can't be true at all" he said snickering.

I laugh at him and assume he is joking "Sure!"

"Clare I'm serious. You could never look gross." He smiled sexily "especially in a bathing suit"

I feel my face get extremely red, and look down to hide it from Cam.

I swallow nervously. "What is your favorite museum like?" I ask with my head still down.

He chuckled at the fact that I was changing the subject. He saw my face, and knew that he was making this extremely awkward for me. He must have just liked watching me squirm.

"I really like this one where they have the ship from the battle of Lake Erie." He said finally answering after what felt like forever.

"That sounds really interesting." I say awkwardly. I feel Cam staring at me, but try to ignore it.

I look at the sky which was now changing from blue to a pinkish orange as the sun was setting.

"The sunsets here are beautiful!" I say staring at the sun starting to fall behind the horizon.

"Yeah they are." He said still staring at me.

I look at him, and smile as the sun hits his face. He is still staring at me, and I wish he would stop, but I have no clue what to say.

"Do you ever which you could just capture everything in a specific moment. The sounds, the sights, the smells, everything?"

"I've never thought about it, but I guess." I say with my eyebrows furrowed.

"This is one of those moments for me." He says smiling sweetly.

I look at him confused, and he clarifies." The faint sound of old school music in the background, and the sound of the waves crashing, with the sunset over the water, the smell of fair food, and the lake, and being with you, this is the highlight of my entire summer.

I smile at him. It's funny to me how I have known Campbell for three days, but already I have told him more about my life then I had told anyone. He had an innocence about him that just made me trust him. He was always sincere when he talked, and it was something magical that I rarely saw in people. It made him special, and the fact that he is completely gorgeous didn't hurt his case.

There was a loud shriek behind us, and we turned around simultaneously. It was a girl around Campbell's age. She was blonde with glasses. She wore shorts, and a tank top, and she made her way down to the rock behind us, and sat on it. "Hey Cam!" she said excitedly...

**A/N: I like this chapter a lot better. I know it's kind of weird, and a lot happens but I think you guys will like it. Thanks for the reviews and suggestions! I appreciate it so much. Please keep it up. I thought about the Alli visiting, and I decided it will take a while to work in, but I'm trying.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own degrassi.**

"Maya?" He said confused. "In the flesh" the young girl said happily.

"I thought you were on vacation?" he asked accusingly.

"My dad got food poisoning, so our family fun road trip was cut short." She said jokingly.

"Who's your friend?" She asked Cam gesturing toward me.

"Oh, right. Maya this is Randall's daughter Clare. She just moved in with us." Cam said awkwardly. The girl smiled at me, and held her hand out for me to shake. I shake her hand, but still don't know who she is other than "Maya".

Cam paused a moment, and took a deep breath. "And Clare this is Maya, my…" He took another breath, and struggled with his next words "my girlfriend".

"Oh" I said shocked. "It's nice to meet you" I said with a fake smile. I felt my eyes well up with tears, and decided I had to go. "I'm gonna go find your mom" I said trying to get myself back to the level ground. My foot slipped on the last rock, but I caught myself on another rock. I left anxiously, and ran off quickly after making it to land.

How could sweet little Campbell do this to me? I think for a moment, and remember that I had caused this. I clearly said that we couldn't be together, and then made out with him. I think at the time we had spent together on the last few days, and how even today he said so many things that implied he liked me. He had to know that I liked him. It was obvious. Why didn't he tell me he had a girlfriend? I would have understood, and stopped spending so much time with him. I think that maybe this is a good thing. I can move on from my stupid crush on my way to young for me almost step brother. Despite thinking this the tears continue to blur my vision, and I run to an empty bench, and crouch down behind it to cry. I bawl my eyes out for a good 10 minutes, before two boys sit on the bench. I compose myself to the best of my ability, and stand up. The boys turn and look at me as I stand up.

"Are you alright?" One of them asks.

I nod my head, and start to walk away. He follows me, and grabs my shoulder. "Are you sure?" he asks me seeming confused.

"Yes." I choke out.

"Well, since we are talking kind of. I'm Eli. What's your name?"He asks. I hesitate on whether or not to tell him because he is a bit scary looking. He has black hair, and is wearing black shorts, and a gray t-shirt adorned with a band logo. It appears that he is wearing eye liner, but I'm not positive. His friend was still sitting on the bench. They were both no taller than 5'6, and were scrawny.

"Clare" I say quietly.

"It's nice to meet you Clare." He says confidently with a smirk.

I have to admit that his confidence is kind of appealing, but I don't really know what to say.

I don't have to think for long because before I know it he turns around, and walks away. I follow him.

"What was that?" I ask him confused.

"What was what?" he asks knowing exactly what I was talking about.

"That… I don't know what to call it. Dialogue?" I ask a little annoyed.

"What about it?" he asked smirking.

"Do you walk up to random people, and start talking often?" I asked very annoyed.

"Only when they are crying actually" He said kind of jokingly.

"Oh…" I say almost forgetting that I had been crying behind a bench. I turn around, and walk away.

I go looking for Kathleen where the blanket was a couple of hours earlier, and find her, and my father.

"Hey Clare!" My dad said. Luckily it was dark because I was almost positive that my eyes were puffy, and my mascara was smeared.

"Hi dad. Work emergency fixed?" I said as happily as I could.

"Yep. I've been here for a couple hours. I'm surprised you guys didn't come back earlier."

"Where is Campbell?" Kathleen asked concerned.

"With Maya? Is that her name? I don't remember, but he is with his little girlfriend" The words didn't feel right coming out in such a happy tone, but I had to cover up any feelings I had for him.

"Oh…" Kathleen said. Well it's starting to get late. We are going to be leaving in about 10 minutes. I tried calling him, but his phone is dead. Do you think you could go find him, and meet us at the exit?"

I nod my head "Sure…" I say nervously.

I walk back to the rock area, and it takes me about 5 minutes. I look down to where Cam and I had been sitting just hours before, and I see Maya making out with him. I feel a wave of jealousy run over my body, and feel the need to rip her face off. I clear my throat loudly to get their attention. They turn around and look at me. Maya gives me an irritated look like I am interrupting their special moment and Cam's expression looks like he is saying sorry with his eyes.

"Your mom and my dad are ready to go" I say rudely letting my jealousy get the best of me.

I turn around, and walk away slowly waiting for Cam to catch up with me. He runs over to me, and waves goodbye to Maya who was still on the rocks.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend?" I say to him accusingly as we walk away.

"I'm sorry Clare, but it's not like this is my fault. You said nothing could happen between us, but then you make out with me, and then… I don't know. The whole thing is really confusing," he says upset.

"Well nothing can happen between us, but that doesn't change the fact that… I wish something could." I say irritated.

"You do?" Cam asks sincerely as he stops in front of me.

"Yes, isn't it obvious?" I say annoyed, and almost yelling at him.

"No, not really… I suck at all things girl related." He says back to me a lot calmer.

He starts laughing uncontrollably. "What is wrong with you?" I ask him irritated.

"This whole thing is just crazy and stupid. I like you and you like me."

"It's not stupid Campbell. Everything is ruined!" I say as I walk in front of him to get away from the conversation.

We get closer to the exit. Cam rides home with my dad, and Kathleen asks me to ride with her. I agree, but expect an awkward car ride.

"So Clare, how do you like it here so far?" she asks me a few minutes after pulling out of the lot.

"It's a nice place. It's been really nice to get to see my dad." I say with a fake smile.

There is an awkward silence, and I decide to end it. "So, when is the wedding?"

She smiles widely, and responds excitedly "November 20th, and that reminds me…" she says with a really large grin.

"Will you be one of my bridesmaids? I know it's asking a lot, but it would really mean a lot to your father and me if you would be in the wedding."

I smile at her happiness. It was really contagious. She really was a kind person. She may get stern with Campbell sometimes, but that's only because she cares. She makes my dad so much happier than I had ever seen him. I snap out of my thought, and remember that she is waiting for a reply

"I would love to." I say nodding and smiling.

"Really? That is so wonderful Clare. Thank you." She says joyfully.

I laugh at her. "I imagine you will walk with Campbell since he is a groomsman. I just can't wait for you to meet the whole family."

I nod awkwardly at the first part, and give a less than genuine smile at the second part.

"Clare you are just so great. I'm so glad you moved in with us."

I really don't know what to do around her other than smile, so that's what I do. We get back to the house, and she pulls into the driveway. We arrive there before my dad and Cam, so I head straight to my room in hopes that I can avoid him for the night.

I sit down on my bed, and take out my phone. I dial Alli's number, and press call. I needed someone to talk to about this whole Cam thing, and I didn't know Lucy well enough yet to tell her something like that.

"Hey Clare!" she answers after the first ring.

"Hi Alli. I have to talk to you about something."

"Okay" she laughs "shoot"

"Well, the last three days have been a roller coaster. I was expecting to leave the drama back home, but apparently that just can't happen."

"What happened? Was your date that bad?" she asks concerned.

"I cancelled the date… This is about something way worse."

"Oh my gosh you're killing me, what is it?" she asks.

"Well I made a mistake, and I'm worried that I screwed this up already."

"Clare, just tell me what happened?"She says anxiously.

"Did I tell you about Campbell?" I ask.

"Only that his friend asked you out, why?"

"Well he is fourteen years old, and I kind of made out with him after I talked to you my first night here." I say

"Clare! You are turning sixteen next month, and not to mention he is going to be your step brother!" she said shocked

"Alli, I know it was a mistake, but I can't stop thinking about it. I like him a lot."

"Clare you sound disgusting right now. I mean at least you dated Jake before your parents started dating. You didn't meet this guy or should I say this boy until you found out he was going to be your step brother."

"I know…" I say sadly "and then today he was being so sweet and then kind of cheesy, but in a good way. And then… Alli get this… He has a girlfriend!" I say a little too loudly.

"Not trying to burst your bubble, but it's probably for the best. You can't like him. He's your step brother!" she said harshly.

"Not yet technically" I say defending my cause.

"Clare, be serious. Nothing can happen!"She says irritated

"Alli, you don't know what I'm going through. He's really cute!" I said to loudly once again.

"I don't care if he is the cutest guy on the planet. It's not a good idea" she says

I take a deep breath, and say the inevitable "You're right, but that doesn't change what I am feeling."

"Well, move back to Toronto then. We all miss you a lot." She says nicely "Especially KC!"

I roll my eyes at the sound of his name. I was thinking about it before she brought him up. For some reason unknown to me Alli thinks that I should take KC back after he cheated on me with the whore.

"Alli, why do you always bring him up?" I say meanly.

"Because you guys are just so perfect" she says convincingly.

"I don't even care about him anymore. I don't think I ever did" I say honestly.

"Fine… you should still come back!"

"That is exactly why I can't, Alli. Despite all of my issues here, I can't face my entire past again. I made so many mistakes at home, and I can't go back" I say like it should be obvious.

I hear her sigh loudly. "What am I supposed to do without my best friend?" she says sadly.

"I don't know Alli. I miss you a lot too, but I can't go back. Maybe you could come visit me?" I say nicely.

"Like my parents would ever let me leave the country by myself" She says annoyed.

"It's not like I'm in France Alli. I moved a three hour drive away. And your parents love me. You have a passport, and maybe if I can talk my dad into it you could visit."

"That would be awesome and all, but we are forgetting one thing. School starts in a few weeks." She says trying to make me think realistically. I was having issues with that here. I was losing all of my common sense, and I have no clue why.

"Well… maybe you could visit over a holiday break. You don't celebrate most of them anyway." I say optimistically.

"If I can talk parents into it, I would love to visit you Clare. I have to go though. I'm supposed to be getting ready for bed".

"Bye Alli" I say laughing at the sound of her mother yelling in the background. Her parents are really strict, but luckily they think I'm a good influence on Alli. If they knew what had made me want to move down here they would never let Alli talk to me again, but they don't, and there is a chance that Alli will be allowed to visit.

I hang up the phone, and realize that Alli hadn't helped me figure out what to do at all. I am in a mess, and I have no clue how to get out of it. I would love to just pretend that Cam and I never kissed, and that there was nothing between us, but I can't.

"Clare" I hear Cam say from just behind my door. I roll my eyes, and get angry.

"What?" I say harshly. He replies with a simple "Can I come in?"

I walk to the door, and open it ruthlessly. He sees that I am mad, and has a scared face while he walks in and sits on the bed.

"Clare, I'm sorry." He says sincerely.

I take a deep breath to relieve my expression of some of its anger. "It's okay. I don't care." I say with a lot less anger.

"But I care" he says sadly. "I'm breaking up with Maya tomorrow. I don't like her the way I like you, and I know that doesn't mean anything will happen with us, but I wish it…"

"Stop!" I interrupt. "Campbell. I don't know what to say other than it was all a mistake. You are going to be my step brother really soon, and I'm almost two years older than you. Can we just put all of that behind us?" I say trying to hold myself together.

"I heard you on the phone Clare. I know that you are just as confused as I am" he says not believing my previous statement.

"You listened to me on the phone! That is a total invasion of my privacy!" I say angrily.

"Well be quieter! My room is across the hall, not on the moon." He says to defend himself.

I roll my eyes, and he gets up off of the bed. "You said I was 'really cute'" He says smiling and mocking me at the same time.

"You're a real jerk! And if that is what you came to say, get out!"

"It's not" he says walking closer to me. "I came to tell you that the last couple days have been great, and that I don't think I can stop liking you. I don't want to stop liking you" At this point he was inches from my face. His lips were inches from my lips and getting closer. I could feel his breath against my lips, and I wanted nothing more than to lean in just two inches and kiss him. I stood my ground, and looked into his eyes harshly trying to make him back away, but he didn't.

He pressed his perfectly soft lips against mine, and cupped my face with his hands. I kissed him back for a few moments before hearing a noise in the house and pushing him away quickly, and my face gets sad.

"This is exactly why this will never work."

He looks at me with heartbreaking puppy eyes. "I haven't been happy all summer. When I'm with you I am happy. That has to count for something."

I look out the door to make sure that the sound was not one of our parents, and go over to him. I wrap my arms around him in a nonromantic way. I pull away and look at him with a smile.

"That is really sweet and all, but it just furthers my thinking that it won't work. Campbell, you obviously need some help, and we can make sure you get it, but think… If we were to give us a try, and something happened… and we were to break up… what would that do to you?"

He shakes his head not wanting to hear what I'm saying. "And I know that you are thinking that could never happen because that is what I thought when Jake and I had this conversation two years ago… The fact is it can and it will… If by the slightest chance we did work out… we still wouldn't because of the fact that our parents will be married, and would never let it happen."

I feel like with every reason I am stabbing Cam in the heart. He is practically in tears, but I need to stay strong. It is really hard to see him like this, and to know that I am the reason he is so sad.

"Cam…" I say sadly as the tears fall down his face.

He wipes his tears, and walks out of the room sadly. A part of me knows he needs space, but another part of me thinks that I just broke his heart and that he was going to hurt himself again. I decide that I can't take chances in the matter, and walk into the hall. His door is already closed, and I can hear him crying from the outside. "Cam". I don't hear a reply, but can still hear crying.

"Cam, can I come in." I say feeling like I'm going to cry. He still doesn't reply.

"Cam I'm coming in" I say as I feel a tear streaming down my face. I open the door, and see Campbell in the corner of the room holding the razor, but not actually cutting. When he sees me coming in he presses the blade against his skin.

"Cam, don't" He drops the blade, and puts his head in his hands crying really hard.

I sit down next to him on the floor, and put my arm around him. "Cam…" I say feeling sorry for him.

He rocks himself back and forth on the floor for a few minutes, and I rub his back trying to calm him.

Once he is done crying he looks at me. "I'm sorry" he says sadly.

I continue to rub his back, and don't say anything. "I almost broke the promise"

I lean my head on his shoulder, and move my hands to his. I hold his hand trying to comfort him further. I don't realize it at the time, but it's kind of crossing multiple step-brother/step-sister relationship boundaries.

"It's fine because you didn't" I say smirking at him sweetly.

He stands up, and pulls me up afterward. He doesn't let go of my hand after I stand up. Instead he pulls me close to him, and tries to initiate a third kiss between us. He leans his head in and pushes his lips against mine. Despite my better judgment I don't pull away. Instead I move my lips with his at a moderate pace.

He deepens the kiss by sticking his tongue in my mouth. I go with it, and keep kissing him now moving my tongue in his mouth as well. He puts his arms around me, and leans down until I am forced to fall on the bed. He doesn't pull away from the kiss the entire time.

He lies on top of me kissing me more intensely then I have ever been kissed. I feel my head getting dizzy from the lack of oxygen going into my mouth, and pull away. I take a deep breath and start panting. He flips over and lies next to me panting as well. We had been kissing for quite a while, and needed to catch our breath. After about a minute of lying next to him on the bed I lean over, and start kissing him again. I roll over on top of him this time, and kiss him very passionately. We make out for another ten minutes, and I straddle him again.

This time when I look down I don't see a terrified Cam, I see a Cam who looks at me like I am perfect, a boy who really likes me. It is obvious that he wants me to keep going so I do. I know that it's wrong, and I know I said I wouldn't, but when I'm kissing him everything feels so perfect.

I lean down, and keep making out with him while my hands go for his shirt. I pull away from the kiss, and force his blue t-shirt off of him. I lean back down, and nibble on his bottom lip while I feel his bare chest with my hands. I sit back up, and take off my blue striped button up, and fling it across the room. I then proceed to take of my tank top leaving me with only a plain white bra. I lean back down, and kiss him even more passionately. I sit back up again, and his eyes get wide. I struggle with my bra clasp, and smile down at him sweetly. "Hold on just a sec". I bite my lip, and continue to fiddle with it until it is eventually undone. I toss the bra into the mess that is Cam's room. He looks up at me lustfully. I lean back down and kiss him some more. I move my fervent kisses down to his neck, and then realize that I left a hickey on his neck.

"Shit!" I say sitting up, and covering my mouth with my hand.

"What?" he asked worriedly. Why did you stop?"

"We are screwed. I left a hickey on your neck

His face got worried as I climbed off of him, and he got up. He ran to the mirror above his dresser, and stared at the hickey on his neck. "My mom is going to kill me."

I put my tank top on, and gather my things. "We can't tell her the truth. We can't tell anyone."

"What am I supposed to say about this?" He said worried pointing to his neck.

"I don't know. Tell your mom that your little girlfriend did it." I said remembering the blonde girl.

"You want me to blame Maya? She is not that kind of girl. She's sweet and nice." He says explaining why his mother would never believe him.

"What's that supposed to mean? Am I not nice?" I say offended.

"No, you are. That's not what I meant…" he said trying to fix what he had said.

"I know exactly what you meant. You think I'm a whore, don't you?" I say with a nervous face.

"No, of course not. You're just different from her… Don't you see we have bigger issues here?"

"Right" I say pointing at him. I pace around, and think about any other options.

"You could wear a turtle neck?" I say not being serious.

"It's 90 degrees outside, so no!" He says putting an end to that idea.

"I wasn't being serious." I say starting to smile.

"Well we have to be. What do we tell our parents?"

"Well, your mom didn't drive you home from that thing, and it was dark. You could have had a hickey then. Maya is capable of giving you a hickey even if it is out of character. I say you stick with that story. You don't have much of a choice."

"I guess you're right. Who knows, maybe it'll go away before she even notices. She does have work tomorrow, she might not notice."

I smile and nod knowing that the hickey would not go unnoticed by Cams mom of the year.

"What does your mom do?" I ask curiously.

"She's a nurse" he says with a yawn.

"Oh, she will probably notice". I smile. "I'm gonna go to bed though Cam. See you in the morning."

"Night Clare" He smiles at me. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

I turn and smile awkwardly at him, and nod. Once I get into my room I change into pajamas, and lay on my bed.

I lay there thinking about Campbell. I feel terrible that I keep confusing him, but this is not safe. I was willing to move past the things holding a possible relationship between him and I back, but I made him cheat on his girlfriend. I mean I didn't make him, but I tempted him, and sure he said he was breaking up with her, but I was her once. I know how much it hurts to be cheated on. I didn't even care about KC all that much, but still it felt like being stabbed in the heart and the back.

I'm not the only one at fault here. He initiated kisses, I just took things a lot farther than I should have. No wonder he thinks I'm a whore. I have known him three days, and already I've attempted to more or less have sex with him. He didn't seem to mind tonight though. He looked so extremely adorable when he was nervously enjoying himself tonight.

I am confused by this as much as he is. As much as I don't think that I should try to be with him, when I am around him, I can't control myself. He is so adorable, and sweet. Despite his issues that I have to tell someone about soon he is just the perfect guy for me. With both Jake and KC I was the more naïve, and less experienced one, but now with Campbell I am the leader of things, and I kind of like it. Okay I kind of love it. I yawn, and decide to go to sleep. I turn off my lamp, and drift into my slumber.

**A/n: I realize this chapter is like crazy filled with confusion, but that's the point. I am trying to illustrate the flip flopping of Clares brain. She is really torn in this situation, but makes impulsive decisions, and doesn't think about the consequences until later. She is a teenager. Thank you everyone who reviewed and followed and favorited. I realize that a lot less people go for stories with not real couples, so I am really appreciative of all of you, Thank you so much, and please keep up the feed back. **

**PS I'm thinking Alli willl visit in the next 3 chapters. I kind of prolong days into multiple chapters, but I am trying to change that**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry it took a while to update I've had a busy weekend. I hope you like this chapter. I know that the story is taking a turn, but I like where it's going. Please review. I love feedback, and I try to fit in any that I get. I appreciate all of you that read and follow and favorite and review. It means so much to me. **

wake up in the morning to the sun shining through my window. I take a look at my phone, and see that it is 9, and that I have a new text message, and a missed call.

I groggily sit up, and check out what I had missed. The text was from Lucy. She wanted to know what I was doing today. I texted her back that I wasn't planning on anything in particular

I checked the missed call, and saw it was from my mom. I hadn't talked to her in all of the time I have been here. I was wondering what was taking her so long to call.

I call her back, and she answers. "Hey Clare" she says excitedly. I smile at the sound of her voice.

"Hey mom, how are you?"

"I'm fine Clare, how is everything going with you and your father?"

"Great" I say happily. "It's really nice to get to see him."

"That's great Clare. I'm glad you're having fun. So how is your father?"

"Good, I guess. He's at work right now I think." I say not knowing what she wanted from me.

"Did he leave you all by yourself? It's your first week there. What was he thinking?"

"Well, no not exactly" I say as it occurs to me that my mother doesn't know about Kathleen or Campbell.

"What do you mean, not exactly?" she says suspiciously.

"Well, dad's neighbor, Lucy is my age, and we are going to hang out."

"Oh… Okay. Well Clare" she sighs deeply."I know we were planning on you coming home next weekend, but it might be better if we reschedule. We are going through some issues right now."

"What kind of issues?" I ask concerned

"Well Clare, it's not really something I wish to discuss over the phone." She says in a serious tone.

"So… I don't get to go home, and you won't even tell me why. How fair is that?" I say annoyed.

"All I can say is that Glen and I are dealing with some issues with Jake, and it would probably be best for the family if you weren't involved." She said in a tone trying to lighten the mood.

I laugh sarcastically. "So it's true?" I ask irritated.

"Is what true?" she asks confused.

"Jake knocked up Jenna." I say angrily.

"How did you know about that?" she asked me sternly.

"I have friend's mom. Alli told me, and I didn't quite believe it until now. I gotta go mom. Bye" I hang up the phone and get really angry. This is why I left. Everything with her is so ugh…

I pick up my pillow, and scream into it. I wasn't mad at Jake for getting Jenna pregnant. I could care less about them right now. I was mad that my mom felt like she could keep something important from me. It seems that I am not even in the family anymore. Not only has my mother not called me since I got here, but she started to distance herself long before I came here. I felt like she missed me, but in some way wanted me to leave. Once I asked if I could talk to dad about living with him, she resented me.

I calm myself down, and walk out of the room, and into the dining room. There was a bright light shining in the windows all over the house, and the beams of lights filled the entire room with a bright, happiness. The obviously beautiful day made my bad mood lighten into a good one.

I hear the television, and walk into the living room to see Campbell watching cartoons while eating a bowl of cereal. He doesn't notice my presence until I walk in front of his line of view.

"Hey Clare" he said barely diverting his eyes from the cartoon.

"Are you really watching cartoons?" I say being playful.

"Yes, I am. Do you have an issue with that?" he asks jokingly.

"Of course not" I give him a closed mouth smile, and look at his neck. The hickey was still there.

"You didn't see your mom did you?" I ask curiously. He shakes his head in response.

"Okay, is it cool if I shower?" I ask.

"Clare, you live here too, why are you asking? Of course you can shower" he says laughing at my overly politeness.

"I'm sorry, I guess it's just my way" I say walking away. I take a shower, and sing Taylor Swift songs while shampooing.

Once I am finished showering I wrap my towel around me, and try to make the quick trip to my room without being noticed. I run to my room, and get dressed as fast as I can. I put on some make up, and comb my hair, before heading back out into the hall. I see that Cam is still watching cartoons, and I roll my eyes playfully.

"She wears high heels. I wear sneakers. She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers" he sings badly in the highest voice he can, obviously mocking my terrible singing.

"You're nice" I say sitting down on the couch next to him.

"Well you're loud" He says teasingly "And kind of really bad".

"Well, sorry then gosh" I say with a shocked face.

"I'm kidding around Clare. You sing just fine." He says smiling at me.

I smile back, and he leans in to kiss me. I turn my head to avoid the kiss, and stand up from my seat.

"What's wrong?" he asks. "Nothing" I say defensively. He stands up, and leans in for my lips, but once again I turn away.

"Why won't you kiss me then?" he asks seriously.

"I don't know. It feels awkward." I say biting my lip.

"Why does it feel awkward?" He asks confused.

"I don't know" I say shrugging "It just does"

"Okay, well I guess I'm going to go shower… Seeya" He said confused and obviously feeling rejected.

"Sorry Cam" I said as he walked away. I don't know what was up with me. I am attracted to him, and I really love kissing him, but something was stopping me. I suppose it could have been the fact that every kiss we share has escalated way farther than it should, or maybe that him watching cartoons makes me remember being fourteen, and being so immature and naïve. It makes me feel that he is going to regret all of this.

I take my phone out, and see that I have a new text from Lucy. "Do you want to hang out today?"

I text her back "sure", and she responds with a "cool, you want to walk to the park?"

"Sounds good" I respond still standing in the living room. "K if you are ready, I'll be over in 5?"

"Yeah" I text back. Getting out of the house may give me some time to regroup my thoughts and figure out what to do with the Cam situation. I go into my room to grab my purse, and then go knock on the bathroom door where Cam is showering.

"What?" he yells when he hears the knocks. "I'm leaving" I say loud enough for him to hear.

"Where are you going" he replies.

"I'm going to hang out with Lucy. I'll be back later" I say.

"Okay" I hear him say as the water turns off. I walk away from the bathroom and back into the living room where the doorbell is ringing. I open the door to reveal a smiling Lucy.

"Hey Clare, ready to go?" she says nicely.

"Yep" I say returning the grin.

I walk out with her, and we start down the street.

"So Clare… how are you?"

"I'm good, happy to be getting out of the house." I smile "How about you?"

"I'm right with you there Clare. My mom is being such a pest" her voice gets a lot more annoyed then I had heard before.

"What happened?" I ask intently. I was really wondering what she could have done to make Lucy mad. Lucy is so nice, and perky. It's weird to see her in a different mood.

"I just can't stand my step dad. He is so annoying, and my mom always sides with him, even when he is wrong. I'm telling you, she is way too dependent on men. Like seriously she needs to just be her own person." She says venting to me.

"I've been there. My mom is almost exactly the same way." I say.

"Is that why you came here?" she asks curiously

"No, that's a long story." I say smiling.

"We have got a lot of time" she says no longer annoyed.

"Well when I was thirteen, I started dating this guy named Jake, and we had known each other forever, and our parents were friends, and it was fine, but then my mom started dating his dad, and instead of breaking up with Jake we kept dating. Then our parents got married, and we still dated, and then my mom found out, and got all mad, and then we still kept dating and just hid it better, and then he broke up with me, and I suck at getting over things. Last year was my first year in the same school as him, and it sucked. Seeing him with other girls killed me, so I asked if I could come here."

"Oh, I see how that could be an issue." She said slightly confused. "I'm glad you're here though."

"Me too. I like it here, and Kathleen seems really nice." I smile.

"That's good I guess. What about Campbell?" she asks curiously. I feel my face instantly grow dark, and my body tense up.

"What about Campbell?" I ask awkwardly.

"How is that going? Do you get along with him?" she asks

"Oh… Yeah he's nice." I say clumsily.

She gives me a confused look. "Are you okay? You seem a little bit nervous?"

"I'm fine" I say quickly and harshly.

"Okay it's no big deal, you don't have to tell me" she says calmly. "So are you excited for school to start?" she asks in order to change the topic.

"Yeah" I say still nervous. I realize that by getting defensive I probably caused her to become suspicious especially because of the fact that I told her in brief about my history with step brothers.

"My older sister told me that our journalism teacher is kind of mean, but I think we will have a lot of fun in our other classes together."

"You have an older sister?"

"Yeah she is 21 though. She's in college."

"Oh" I say with a small grin.

"We are just a few blocks away from the park. Some of my friends are there today, and they said it was teaming with people from school. It's probably good for you to get to know as many people as possible before school."

"Yep" I smile. I am acting really quiet, and Lucy is obviously curious to why, but she isn't pushy about me telling her. Her actions right now tell me that she is going to be a good friend to have.

We arrive at a seemingly large park. Off to one side there is a field filled with teenage boys playing football, and to another side there is a playground filled with children. There are guys skateboarding near the playground, and people scattered around on various benches.

"Hey Luce!" I hear a girl say as she runs toward Lucy and me beside another girl.

"Hey guys." She replies hugging each of them separately. "Clare these are some of my friends Hanna and Marnie."She said to me gesturing to each girl as she said their name.

"Guys, this is my new neighbor Clare."

"Hi, nice to meet you" I say politely.

They both smile and nod at me acknowledging that they feel the same.

"Lucy, guess who's here?" The brown curly haired girl named Marnie said excitedly.

"Who?" asks Lucy equally as giddy.

"Logan!" She whispers loudly and happily. Lucy gets really happy.

I look at them confused and the girl named Hanna leans over to me "That's the guy that Lucy is in love with" She says jokingly.

"Where is he?" Lucy asks excitedly as Marnie points to the field of boys playing football.

They wave to the boy I suspect is Logan, and he waves back with a smile. He is blonde, tall, and kind of muscular. I could definitely see why she liked him, but was not attracted to him myself.

"They are probably going to be a while." Hanna says to me annoyed with their excitement.

"I'm going to walk around a bit. You want to come? Standing here watching them fawn over those boys is not as fun as you would think." She says nicely.

"Sure" I say. She turns to Lucy and Marnie "Clare and I are going to walk around a bit" she says realizing that they aren't really listening. She rolls her eyes and starts walking down the cement path. I follow her.

"I will never understand them." She says with a grin.

"It reminds me of my best friend Alli , pre-boyfriend." I say with a grin.

"I was never so ditsy around boys, even before I had a boyfriend… not my style."

"I know what you mean." I say smiling. "Some girls are just boy crazy I guess."

"So Clare, where are you from?" Hanna asks with a smile.

"I'm from Canada. I live just outside Toronto, or should I say lived."

"Oh" she says surprised. "What brings you to Erie?" she says curiously.

"My dad, he moved here after my parents got divorced."

"I'm sorry to hear that." She says with a frown.

"It's no big deal. It's been two years. I'm over it." I say with a fake smile.

"So, you go to Lakeview? I ask curiously.

"mhm" she says nodding. Her brunette, curly bun bounces as she nods her head.

I notice that her and Marnie look a lot alike and start to wonder if they are siblings.

"So is Marnie your sister?" I ask curiously.

She laughs and shakes her head. "No, she is just my best friend. We get that a lot though."

We keep walking and talking until we reach a big fountain. We sit on the edge of it, and continue conversation.

"Who have you met from Lakeview so far?" Hanna asks.

"Only you guys, and Lindsey and April, and my dad's fiancés son" I say.

"Who is your dad's fiancé's son?" she asks me curiously.

"Ca…" is all that comes out before I am knocked off of the edge and thrown into the fountain.

Before I can even regroup what had happened there are people pulling me up out of the water.

"Oh my gosh I am so sorry!" I hear a familiar voice saying. Once I am back on my feet I realize that it's the same boy that I had met yesterday when I was crying. I look at him angrily still not realizing exactly what happened, but knowing he was the one to blame.

"What's your problem Eli?" Hanna says hitting the boy in the shoulder.

"I am so sorry" He says sincerely. I look into his beautiful green eyes, and blush slightly.

He smirks at my reddening cheeks. "I really didn't mean to do that. We were playing Frisbee and… I really am so sorry."

"Its fine" I say trying to clear his conscience a little.

He looks at me and tilts his head "Wait a minute, I met you yesterday. You're Clare right?"

"Yeah" I say.

"I'm sorry Clare. I'm an idiot. If there is anything I can do to fix this just say the word." He says looking into my eyes.

"Eli, just go away, and be more careful with your Frisbees" Hanna says harshly.

He turns toward her and says "Cool it Hanna, I'll go" in an aggravated tone. I watch as he walks away, and then turn to her.

"You didn't have to be so mean to him."

"He knocked you into a fountain." She said shocked at my calmness.

"He didn't mean to." I say. "What do you have against him anyway?"

"Well for starters he is a weirdo of a brother."

"He's your brother?" I ask. She replies "Sadly, yes"

"I'm sure he's not that bad" I say with a chuckle.

"You like him don't you?"She asks me. I feel my cheeks heat up, and realize that I'm probably turning beat red.

"No" I say shaking my head. She rolls her eyes at me in a nice way.

"Go for it" she says with a nudge.

"It's obvious he likes you" she says with a smile.

"I couldn't" I say embarrassed. "I think we should go back and find Lucy. I need to go home."

"Okay" she says grabbing my purse off of the side of the fountain, and handing it to me. "Thanks" I say nicely. I grab my phone out of my purse and smile at the fact that it is fine. We start back to the field where Lucy and Marnie were cheering. When we make it back Lucy looks at me in shock.

"What happened to you?"

"My loser brother knocked her in the fountain" Chirped Hanna.

Lucy's jaw drops. "Wow, what a jerk. I suppose we should start heading back."

"Yeah" I say with a nod. Lucy hugs her friends and we start walking home.

"I'm so sorry about this Clare. Eli can be such a freak." She says sincerely.

"What do you mean? He seems nice enough."

She looks at me like I'm insane. "I mean he didn't mean to knock me into the fountain"

"Why do you think he's a freak?" I ask curiously.

"I don't, I mean he is my friend kind of, but he is kind of awkward. He has some mental issues."

"What kind of mental issues?" I ask intrigued by her last statement.

"He's bipolar" she says.

"Oh" I say with wide eyes.

"Why are you so interested in Eli? Are you interested in Eli?"

"I mean he's cute, but I don't know" I say blushing. She gives me a twisted face.

"Its weird hearing someone say that Eli Goldsworthy is cute."

"I find that hard to believe." I say laughing.

"I don't know Clare. I have known him since I was six, and I think that the break downs every couple months stop girls from falling for him."

"Oh… Hanna said that I should go for it." I say skeptically.

"Then go for it I guess. Honestly I'm relieved. Your reaction earlier had me thinking that you were interested in Campbell."

I start laughing awkwardly. "Oh of course not" I say obviously lying.

"Oh my god Clare, you like Campbell. Isn't he like thirteen?" she says stunned.

"He's fourteen" I say guiltily.

She shakes her head at me. "Does he know that you like him?"

I look down at my still wet shoes as we walk. "Yes"

"Well, does he like you?" she asks interested in my debacle.

"Yeah" I say nervously. "What are you going to do?" she asks.

"Every time I try to tell him that I can't be with him for obvious reasons, we end up making out."

Lucy looks at me with wide eyes. "Clare!"

"I know. I'm insane" I say with scared eyes. "We almost went further than just making out yesterday."

"Do you mean like… sex?" she whispers embarrassed to say the word.

"Yeah, but we didn't." I say reassuringly

"Have you before?" she asks me with a horrified look on her face.

"Sadly yes" I say regretting that that is my answer.

"Oh my gosh. I thought you were a good girl" She says.

"I am. I just made a bad choice when I was younger." I say defending myself.

"How young?" she asks.

"I don't really want to talk about it Lucy." I say annoyed.

"Okay. I'm sorry. It's none of my business."

"So… that guy you like. What's his story?" I ask her trying to change the subject.

She blushes and smiles. "Logan is the most amazingly attractive guy I know, and he is nice, and smart, and funny. He is like perfect"

"Why don't you ask him out?" I ask her smiling.

"He could never like me, so what's the point? I'm nothing special and he deserves a lot better than me."

"Lucy! You can't say that about yourself. You are so gorgeous, and really nice. Any guy would be more than thrilled to go out with you, and I think that that Logan boy likes you." I say trying to build her confidence. "Ask him out!"

She bites her lip and looks at me while shaking her head. "I can't…" When we get closer to our homes I run in to my house, and to my room. I change out of my now damp clothes and put on a t-shirt and shorts.

"Hey" Cam says as I exit my room. "Why are you home so quickly?"

"Umm… I was with Lucy's friend when I got knocked into a pond by this guy playing Frisbee." I say nervously. I really don't want Cam to find out about my attraction to Eli. I am still really confused about this thing with Campbell, and I don't know what I am going to do.

"Who was it? Did you get his name?" he asks.

"Ugh yeah umm Eli. It was just an accident. He said sorry like a billion times" I could feel my face turning red as I recalled the moment. I try very hard to hide my blushing cheeks.

"Are you okay Clare?" Cam asks me. I nod at him to let him know that I'm fine.

He smirks at me, and walks toward me. To stop him from getting a closer look at my face I press my lips up against his and grab his neck holding his mouth to mine. The kiss is not as passionate as it had been the night before, but I doubt that he noticed. He tried to pull away after a minute, but I held his lips to mine.

I finally pull away when I need to come up for air, and he looks into my eyes as I look into his. I really do like him, I am just really confused.

"I have to go." I say nervously to Cam.

"You just got back. What is up with you Clare?" he asks concerned grabbing my arm as I walk away.

"Lucy knows" I say tensely. He looks at me surprised. "You told her?"

"No, well yeah, but not until after she figured it out. Cam I'm a terrible liar. You don't understand. I can't do this" I say sadly.

"Yes you can. I'm breaking up with Maya in ten minutes." He says with a smile.

"Maybe you shouldn't Cam. I'm having second thoughts." I say feeling terrible about it.

"Why do you keep changing your mind about this?" He asks in an irritated voice.

"Because I like you. You are really sweet and cute and all, but in the end we are going to be step siblings and there is no way that it can work out in the long run. We are just prolonging the inevitable by keeping this going."

He looks at me with disappointed eyes. "You're right".

I feel relieved by the fact that I am not stuck in this, but also sad that it's over.

"I still have to go" I say pulling my arm from his grasp. "Lucy and I are going to hang out at her house"

"Okay" Cam says watching me as I leave the house.


	8. Chapter 8

Campbell's POV

I stood there a few minutes after she left just thinking.

I know she's right about us, but I really don't care. I like her. I like her a lot, but something in her tone when she was speaking told me she really didn't want this. She obviously changed her mind, and I don't want her to be with me because she is afraid of what I will do if she's not. I know that I went a little overboard last night. I get worked up and I cut, but later when I think it over I usually see that I was over reacting.

Don't get me wrong, I am upset, but I realize that I have known Clare less than a week. I shouldn't get that upset over a girl I barely know. I'll be okay, eventually.

My thoughts are interrupted by Maya knocking on the front door happily. I smile at the sight of her through the storm door.

"Hey Maya" I say as I let her in the door.

Barely a second after walking in, Maya has her arms around me. I hug her back, and try to avoid the guilt that rushes over me as I think of last night with Clare. She leans up to kiss me, and I quickly peck her lips.

"Hey Cammy" she says with a grin as she lets me go from her embrace.

Maya has been my girlfriend since the beginning of eighth grade. She is my first girlfriend, and she was my first kiss. Before Clare came along she was the only girl I had kissed. I know it might not seem like I like Maya anymore, but I do. I still have feelings for her I think I'm just bored. We have been going out for nearly a year, and it seems we have nothing left to talk about. Today though, I was very happy to see her. I needed to get my mind off of Clare, and in the last few minutes I decided I am not breaking up with her. It was another irrational decision I made in the spur of the moment. The more I thought about it, the more I knew it would be silly to ruin a relationship that I have had for an entire year for a girl I barely know.

"Soooo, Cammy what do you want to do?" she asks suggestively.

"I don't really have a preference. What do you want to do?" I ask her awkwardly.

She leans up to my ear so close that I can feel her lips grazing my ear lobe as she speaks. Slowly she says "You wanna make out?" in a seductive voice.

I step backward from her for a moment. "No Maya, my mom is going to be home soon"

She rolls her eyes at me playfully and kisses me again, but it's a lot rougher.

I pull away from the kiss after she pushes me against the wall. "Maya we really can't do this now." I say swallowing loudly.

"Come on babe, don't be such a chicken!" She says tauntingly before going for my lips again.

I turn my head so that her lips instead meet with my check, and she backs off of me. "What's wrong Cam?" she asks concerned.

"I told you. My mom is going to be home in a few minutes" I say a little annoyed that she can't take no for an answer.

"Fine, what do you want to do then?" she asks me sweetly. "movie? Video games? Walk? Anything?"

"A walk sounds good actually" I say with a small grin. She grabs my hand and leads me out the door. I make sure that I have my key and lock the door.

We walk hand in hand around the neighborhood. I listen to Maya spill the details about her families failed road trip, and talk about how much her sister annoys her.

When we get back I see that my mom is home from work, and when we walk into the house she is working on dinner. The day has gone by extremely fast. It's hard to believe that its already 5:30.

"Hey Kathleen" Maya says to my mother sweetly as we walk into the kitchen.

"Hey Maya, are you going to be joining us for dinner?" my mom asks.

"I would love to Kathleen." She says with a grin. "So what's for dinner?" I ask my mother curiously.

"Grilled chicken and I haven't decided what else yet" she says preparing raw chicken.

"Okay mom, we are gonna go hang out in my room" I say starting to walk away.

"Leave the door open" she yells jokingly. Maya giggles at my mom's comment and I blush.

"Did a tornado come through here while I was gone?" Maya teased as she followed me into my bedroom.

"Ha ha" I say mockingly at her comment. "I just don't care enough to tidy up" I say.

"Well, I guess I'll have to clean up after you again" she says tapping my nose.

She turns around and starts to tidy before I can even object.

"Maya, can't we just hang out? I don't feel like cleaning." I say with a puppy dog face that she can't see because she is too busy tidying.

"Campbell, I don't know how you live like…" her voice cut of as she picks something up from the floor.

"What is this?" She says accusingly holding Clare's bra by one of its straps.

I look at her nervously, and don't say anything. "Why is this in your room?" she says sadly with a tear falling down her face.

I still don't know what to say so I stay silent. "Cam… Did you cheat on me?" she said in a depressed whisper with tears streaming down her face.

Seeing Maya so hurt made tears drip from my own eyes. I look at her sadly and guiltily having no idea what to say. I just wanted to try to comfort her, but I knew my efforts would be to no avail considering I am the reason she is so upset.

"Please say something… Did you cheat on me?" she says in the same distressed voice with a little anger behind it this time.

"Maya, I didn't mean to" I say with a very solemn expression. I didn't think it possible, but Maya got even more upset. "Who was it?" she asks bawling her eyes out.

I don't think that I should tell her about Clare so I don't. "I'm so sorry Maya".

"Campbell, I trusted you! How could you do this to me?" she yelled. I don't reply, instead I look down at my feet.

"What's going on in here?" my mom asks standing in the door way concerned.

"What's going on is your son is a cheating pig!" Maya said to my mom crying. "Never talk to me again! I hate you!" Maya said as she through the bra at me and stormed out past my mom.

"What is she talking about? And why do you have a bra in your room?" My mom asks me angrily.

"I don't want to talk about it" I say my eyes puffy from the tears I'm fighting back.

"Campbell Dylan Saunders, you are fourteen years old, and I am your mother. You tell me right now what's going on!" She says yelling.

"Well isn't it obvious. I made the biggest mistake of my life. I cheated on Maya!" I say yelling back at her. I hear the front door open and shut one more time and wonder who it might be.

"Why do you have a bra in your room?" my mother yells.

I look down at the floor gravely to avoid my mother's harsh stare. After a few moments of not responding she starts speaking again.

"You are barely fourteen, and way too young for this behavior" she says strictly and angrily. "No more friends! No more dating! You are grounded for the rest of summer. You can do hockey, but nothing else." She says yelling before she walks out disgusted at my actions.

I start to tremble with a mixture of anger and sadness. I have ruined everything I have worked for years to build in a matter of days. My mom's trust is gone. Maya is gone. My summer is over.

"I hate my life!" I yell as I throw myself back on to my bed. I lay there thinking about how to fix this situation. Everyone is going to hate me! I glance at my dresser where the razor blade is, and quickly expel the thought. I can't keep hurting myself. I admit that after hearing Clare's story about her sister's death, I have been scared I would have the same fate.

I take multiple deep breaths to calm myself down, but ultimately still feel angry. I can't seem to shake it.

**Ok guys, I realize that Cam is probably dying on the show, but I am not killing him or ending the story, it's an AU so he is still alive. I'm sorry it took me so long to update. School has been crazy. I hope you liked this chapter. I thought it was important to have Cam's perspective on something. Thank you to all of you who read and follow and favorite I appreciate it a lot. Keep it up readers. I love you all, and thank you for your support. I will be updating more frequently. Sorry this chapter is a bit Short.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a long time. I have been super busy. It seems all of my friends decided to be born in March and February. Also, this is the first time I have not had homework in like months. On the bright side... Spring break is coming up, and you can expect a lot of updates. Thanks for reading. love you all! Please review. I really love the feed back. Like i said I am not killing Cam. I love him too much. Okay. I have to go to bed now. Night yall!**

Clare's POV

I open the door to my home, and immediately hear yelling. My eyes widen as I think about what could be going on. I stand there, and listen. "Why do you have a bra in your room?" Kathleen yells.

Oh no! I must have left it in Cam's room. We are dead.

I listen to the argument in silence praying that Campbell doesn't tell Kathleen the truth. Kathleen emerges from the hallway with an angered look and I sigh in relief.

I follow Kathleen into the kitchen where she has already started chopping raw vegetables with tears welling in her eyes.

"Hey Kathleen" I say hesitantly.

She takes a deep breath, and wipes her eyes. She sniffles "Hey Clare, I didn't see you there".

"Are you alright?" I ask knowing full well that she isn't.

"Of course" she says with a fake smile. "Onions" she says gesturing to the cutting board.

"Oh… I heard you yelling at Campbell. Is everything alright with that?" I ask cautiously.

She shakes her head, and turns to chop more vegetables. "I don't even know my own son anymore."

"I'm sure that's not true." I say trying to comfort her a bit.

"It is… I just don't understand what I did wrong."

I bite my lip and look at her sympathetically. "What do you mean?"

She puts the knife down and turns to me "One of my kids got a girl pregnant his first year of college, and my other kid is fourteen, and appears to already be on the same track with god knows who."

I feel my eyes widen, and my cheeks blush at the fact that I am the "god knows who" she is referring to.

"I highly doubt that" I say with a nervous smile.

"Honey, I'm home!" my dad says jokingly as he walks in the door. Thank you dad for saving me from this awkward conversation I think to myself. Kathleen turns back to her vegetables, and I walk over to my dad, and greet him.

"Hey dad, how was your day?" I ask him with a smile.

"It was great, but there is nothing like being back home with my beautiful family." he says wrapping an arm around me and kissing my head. He then walks up behind Kathleen, and hugs her from behind. I turn away in disgust. I am not sure if it's because Kathleen is not my mother, or if it's because I don't like seeing people in their mid-forties displaying affection, but it definitely bothered me.

My dad must have noticed that Kathleen was upset because before you know it they are talking about Kathleen and Campbell's argument. I sit at the dining room table, and silently watch them.

Kathleen tells my dad about what happened, and I am able to pick up on some more details. I learn that Maya found my bra and got mad, and Kathleen went in when she heard yelling. I feel bad about this whole thing. It's my fault. I should have been more careful about grabbing my bra. I shouldn't have kissed him when I first got here. I came here for a fresh start, and I just keep making the same mistakes.

I am getting upset at this point, and go to my room to avoid being noticed. I close the door and take a deep breath before texting Alli. "I need some advice!"

To my dismay Alli does not reply right away. I contemplate texting Lucy, but realize that she might be a bit too innocent to know what to do in this situation.

I sigh loudly as I lay back on my bed. "Why do I have to be such a slut?" I whisper to myself.

A tear streams down the side of my face, as I take in the fact that I have ruined Campbell's entire life.

Why am I crying? He should be the one upset. I ruined everything. I jump up when I think of what Cam could be doing at this very moment. Once at Campbell's door I knock lightly as to not gain attention from our parents.

"Go away!" he says meanly. "Shhh. Cam it's me" I say just loud enough for him to hear.

"Clare, leave me alone."

"I know you're mad at me, but I need to make sure you're alright" I say concerned.

I don't hear a reply so I open the door slightly, and reveal to myself Campbell simply lying on his bed holding a picture and staring at it.

"I told you to leave me alone" he said sitting up.

I noticed that his eyes were puffy and tear filled, and it made me frown to see him like this.

"I'm worried about you." I say innocently. "What happened?"

He shakes his head at me and throws his upper body back on to his bed forcefully.

"Come on Cam talk to me" I say quietly as I close the door behind me.

"You really want to know what happened, you happened. You came here, and now my life is in shambles". His tone is harsh and unrelenting, and I am taken aback by it. He has been sad before in my presence, but never so angry. I have a sympathetic frown and scared eyes adorned on my face as I stare at him.

"You know I didn't mean to turn your life upside down. I wish I could just rewind back to my first day, and not kiss you. That would make this whole thing easier." I am being honest, but feel like it's a bit insensitive after I say it.

"Not that you're a bad kisser. Y-You're a great kisser one of the best I've ever had, but... this is irrelevant" I feel myself getting embarrassed as he chuckles at my awkwardness. At least I made him smile right?

"So, are you okay?"

He nods his head "I'm not going to hurt myself if that's what you're asking. And I can thank you for that."

I lift one eyebrow in confusion. He realizes and clears it up by saying "that story about your sister really helped open my eyes."

"Oh… I'm glad to help. Sorry again about this whole thing. I know it's my fault. I really hope we can get passed this."

I notice his Adams apple bob as he swallows loudly. "Me too."

I left Campbell alone, confident that he was safe from his need to harm himself.

Kathleen and my father were still talking loudly in the kitchen about Campbell. I didn't mean to get anyone in trouble. I was just having a little fun.

Anyway, I'm done with that. Campbell is fourteen, and it's not a good idea to get involved with a kid who is about to be my step-brother. Not to mention I feel the need to learn a bit more about Eli. I smile to myself as I think of his enticing smirk.

Before I know it Kathleen is calling us to the dinner table, and she is a lot calmer. It's a relief to see that Cam has also cooled down. If I was in Toronto, and my mom found boys underwear in my room, she would never talk to me again.

It seems Kathleen is very chill compared to my mother. Despite the fact that that Kathleen and Cam are both calmer then they were when I got here, there is still a definite awkwardness that creates silence when my dad is not talking.

I hope that they are okay. I mean I'm sure they are, but the longer they go without talking the worse I feel about the whole thing.

"The chicken tastes amazing/" I say to Kathleen sweetly.

"Thank you Clare. I'm glad you like it."

The awkward silence resumes, and I am tempted to excuse myself, but ultimately Cam beats me to it.

"May I be excused mom? He asks obviously feeling the uneasiness.

Kathleen does not reply, but instead my dad nods at him. He gets up from the table, and the mood of the room lightens immediately.

Kathleen is obviously still irritated with Cam, but it's expected. I suppose would be mad too if I thought my fourteen year old son was having sex with some hussy,

The sad part is… I am the hussy.

I tell my dad and Kathleen about the park, and the people met, and my dad gets a happy look on his face.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you are making friends."

"Me too" I say with an innocent grin. When we are finished eating I excuse myself, and head back to my room.

I get my laptop out, and play some music. I find myself singing along to my favorite songs in my library, and text Alli.

"Hey, I miss you!?"

"I miss you too Clarebear! Did you talk to your dad?"

"Oh, no I completely forgot. I'll do it now!"

I run out of my room and into the living room where my dad is laying on the couch.

"Hey Daddy" I say with a smile. "Hey Clare" he responds back at me.

"So dad, mom called this morning, and she says that I am not allowed to come home nest weekend because they are dealing with some family issues… and was wondering if by any chance, Alli could come visit for a few days?" I ask giving him a desperate stare.

He looks at me, and I smile sweetly. "Well I have to talk it over with Kathleen, but if she says it's okay, and Alli's parents say it's okay then I don't see why not. I don't want you to have to miss your friends because your mom is being difficult. What kind of family issue?"

"Well…" I start to fiddle with my fingers "You know Glen's son, Jake?" I ask timidly.

"Yeah" he replies wanting to know more."He got a girl pregnant."

My dad's face is serous for a moment before he starts laughing hysterically. I shoot him a confused look, but he keeps laughing.

I'm guessing my dad is amused by my mom and Glen's misfortune, but I can't help but feel awkward in this situation.

When his laughter finally dies down I bring up Alli visiting once again

"So… Dad… Do you think you could ask Kathleen?"

He tales a deep breath and I smile at him widely. "Sure Clare" he says standing up and walking into the kitchen where my soon to be step- mom is washing dishes.

"Tell me when you know!" I say to my dad as I walk into my room again.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**: **Okay guys so this is shorter than normal again, but I'm halfway through the next chapter and it will be up in a few days. I really appreciate all of you who read and review and follow and favorite. You guys are so great, and I thank you all for reading. I really enjoy when you review, and give me suggestions because I am open to any ideas. I hope you like this chapter. It's not very exciting, but Alli is here, so everything is good. Thanks again guys. I love you all!**

I have been waiting for today all week, and now that it's here, I am so happy. This is the longest time I have gone without seeing Alli since her and her family went to India to visit family back in grade 5. I miss her so much, and honestly don't know how I will make it through this year without seeing her every day.

I escape my thoughts when I feel a vibration in my back pocket.

**From: Alli**

**Hey Girl, I'm outside! Well if I'm at the right house. Lol**

I drop my phone, and run out the front door barefoot to see Alli getting out of the car, and Sav getting her backs out of the trunk.

"Alli!" I yell enthusiastically as I run down the stairs to hug her.

"I've missed you a ton!" she says hugging me.

"I've missed you too. Don't know how I'm going to make it through this year."

"Regretting your decision?" Sav chimes in closing the trunk.

"No, I needed a change of scenery, and the people here are really nice." I say reminding myself of the reason I'm here.

"Speaking of nice people… where are all of these boys you were telling me about?" Alli ask curiously.

I roll my eyes playfully. "What would Dave say?"

Her face goes serious, and I don't know what is going on.

"Sav, can you help me take my suitcase in before you go?" she asks her brother nicely.

He nods his head, and carries her bags to the porch. I run up the stairs, and open the door for him to carry the bags inside and he does. "Where to?" he asks me.

"You can leave them there. We will take them to my room in a while." I say with a smile.

He turns back out the door, and we wave as he pulls out of the driveway.

"Did something happen with Dave?" I ask Alli as we walk into the house.

She sighs, and says "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Alli come on? I'm your best friend. Tell me what happened." I say worried about her.

"Let's just say, I wish I had a parent in a different country to move in with." She says with a sarcastic smile.

"Alli… You have to tell me what's going on." I say with a pouty lip.

She sighs loudly and looks at me "He slept with someone else! Are you happy now?" she said angrily. My jaw drops in shock at what she just told me, and I look at her sadly.

"I'm so sorry!" I said not knowing what would be the appropriate response.

"It's fine. I'm done being sad over it. I really just wish I had my best friend back so I wouldn't have to face this year with absolutely no one to talk to." She said bitterly.

"I can come back if you really want me to." I offer trying to make her feel better.

"Clare, I would never ask you to do that. You like it here, and you should stay… I'll be okay." She says reassuringly.

I give her a hug, and try my best to change the topic. "So, you want to see my room?"

"Sure" she says grabbing her suitcase and small tote bag to bring it with her. I help Allie with her suitcase, and we go to my room.

"It's nice, but it would be better if it were pink!" she says jokingly knowing that I dislike the color she is so in love with.

Just then I hear the front door open again, and notice that it is only 11 a.m. Since it is so early the only possible person it could be is Campbell.

"Who's here?" Alli asks curiously pushing me away from my spot in front of the door.

I follow her into the living room where she is already holding her hand out for Cam to shake.

"Hi I'm Alli! You must be Campbell?"

He drops his hockey bag, and shakes her hand timidly. "Yeah that's me. It's nice to meet you."

She turns to me, and mouth "wow Clare", and it makes me giggle.

"What's so funny?" Cam asks confused.

"Oh nothing. Clare's description of you just did not do you justice." She says flirtatiously. He looks embarrassed.

"Alli!" I say loudly signaling for her to shut up, but of course being Allis she doesn't listen.

"Clare, just could not shut up about you, and your 'amazing kissing skills' long enough to mention you were a total babe!" Alli says in a joking manner that makes me want to crawl up in a ball and die.

I glance over at Cam who is wearing a horrified expression on his face. "You told her?" he snaps at me.

"Sorry. She's my best friend. I tell her everything." I say defensively.

He goes to say something, but stops before opening his mouth, and goes into his room slamming the door behind him.

"Alli! What is the matter with you?" I yell at her.

She stands there with a surprised expression. "Clare, I had no clue he would react like that. I was joking around."

I take a deep breath, and calm down. "Just don't talk to him. Please!"

She gives me a fake smile. "Okey dokes. You should go talk to him though."

"I really don't want to. He's over reacting." I say with an unkind tone.

"Fine. I'm not making you do anything you don't want to!" she says putting her hands up, and falling on to the living room couch.

"So Clare, what do you want to do?" Alli asks changing the subject."I don't know. I kind of want to get out of the house though… Maybe I should call Lucy."

"Then call her!" Alli says with a laugh.

I get my phone out, and call Lucy who answers on the first ring. "Hey are you home?" I ask her curiously.

"Yeah, Why? What's up?"

"Well my friend Alli got in this morning, and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with us?"

"Sure. I will be over in a minute."

It takes a quick two minutes before we are able to hear Lucy coming up the steps.

I open the screen door before she knocks and she walks in. "Hey Clare!"She says.

"Hey Lucy" I utter closing the screen door behind her. Walk over to her and hug her before introducing her to Alli.

"Lucy, this is my best friend Alli… Alli this is my new friend Lucy."

"Hi Alli. It's nice to meet you." Lucy said waving to Alli excitedly.

Alli stood up, and walked over to Lucy and me to shake Lucy's hand.

"So what do you guys want to do?" Lucy asks us eagerly.

I turn to Alli asking her opinion, and of course she asks "Can we go find some cute boys?"

Lucy looks at me with a grin, and I reply with a defeated nod. Lucy looks over at Alli with a smile. "We should go to the park! Cute boys… wait for it… playing football!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Allis screeches way too gleefully

"I'll agree to this under one condition." I say jokingly stern "We go nowhere near that fountain!"

"Deal!" Lucy says!

"Okay hold on guys. I just have to touch up my make up, and change out of this." Allis said gesturing to her t-shirt in disgust.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Another really short one, but now that I'm home for break I will be updating a lot more frequently with shorter chapters. Thank you guys so much for your support. I appreciate every single one of you! Please continue to give me feed back and suggestions. I appreciate it so much. Also I am going in the Eli and Clare direction for a while, but it won't last. This chapter is kind of to develop the characters I created a bit. Thank you again! Please keep it up readers!**

When we arrive at the park we go to the field where a group of boy is playing soccer.

"Hey Logan!" Lucy calls as she waves to the blonde boy from last week. He waves back and gets hit in the face with ball because his attention is away from the game. All three of us put our hand over our mouths in response to the boy being knocked down.

"Who is that cutie?" Alli asks Lucy teasingly pointing to Logan.

She takes a deep breath before responding. "His name is Logan, and I have the biggest crush on him!"

"Ooh! Girl, I can see why." Alli says nudging Lucy.

It's kind of funny how well Lucy and Alli are getting along. I guess they are just equally boy crazy. We decide to walk around a little bit, and stop at a picnic table and talk for a while. I sit on one side while Alli and Lucy face me talking about an array of different topics.

I see Logan walking up behind Lucy and Alli, but he puts a finger over his lips signaling me not to say anything. He walks up behind Lucy and pokes her in the sides of the abdomen and says "boo!" only for her to scream loudly scaring Alli and I slightly.

She turns around and hits him in the arm playfully and he sits down next to me across from Lucy.

"Hello Ladies!" he says flirtatiously obviously directing it toward Lucy.

"Why do you always scare me like that?" Lucy asks with a blushing smile.

"You are just so easily frightened. It's hilarious… I'm sorry." He says with a grin in her direction.

"Hey dude!" I heard a familiar voice call from behind me. I turn around at the same time as Logan, and see Eli walking up to talk to Logan.

"Hey Eli. How you been man?" Logan asks Eli as he arrives at the table. As soon as I see him I feel my face heat up, and I can tell that Alli is staring at me with an evil grin.

"I've been good. How about you?" he asks the boy still sitting next to me.

"You know same old same old, hanging out with some beautiful ladies." Logan answered Eli with a smile gesturing to all three of us.

"Oh! How do you know Clare?" Eli asks Logan while looking at me.

"I don't actually. I just came over here to see Lucy a few seconds ago." He answered Eli. "I'm sorry. I didn't properly introduce myself. I'm Logan. I'm Lucy's friend." He says to Alli and me with a wide grin.

"Hi, I'm Clare. I'm Lucy's new neighbor, and…" Alli interrupts "I'm Alli! I'm visiting Clare from Canada."

"It's nice to meet you guys!" Logan says. Eli looks over at me. "Hey Clare, I'm sorry about last week."

I give him a closed mouth grin "It's really no big deal."

He shoots me the smirk that has been in my mind since I met him, and bite my lower lip nervously.

He sits with us at the table next to Lucy and across from Logan, and a conversation about summer ending comes up. I find myself acting quieter than usual in fear of embarrassing myself, but Alli on the other hand is being social as ever.

A phone starts ringing and Eli immediately grabs his from his pocket and answers. "Hello".

He waited a moment before saying "Okay Bullfrog, I'll be home in a few." He put his hand over the phone speaker and said "Nice talking to you guys, but my dad needs my help with something. See you around." We all say a form of goodbye, and I take a deep breath as he walks away.

Lucy looks at me with a devious smile, and I roll my eyes playfully. "Lucy, don't look at me like that!" I say.

"She speaks!" Logan says jokingly.

"She does. She speaks a lot actually… you know when she isn't nervous." Lucy says smiling at me deviously once again with Alli joining her this time.

"Wait a minute… Eli makes you nervous?" the blonde boy asks me. I don't answer, but instead give Lucy an "I really hate you right now" look.

"Clare… Don't worry! I trust Logan with my life. He won't tell anyone you like Eli." Lucy says with a sincere grin.

"She's right I won't." Logan says.

"Your life huh?" I ask Lucy mockingly. "I think I know one thing you won't tell him." I say mimicking her smile from before. Her jaw drops, and her eyes are begging me to shut up. I decide to not lose the one close friend I have made and don't say anything more.

"What won't you tell me?" Logan asks her inquisitively.

"Nothing! Right Clare?" she says mortified. "Yeah." I say with a nod.

Logan looks at us confused, and Lucy swallows loudly. "Oh my goodness! Look at the time. Alli, Lucy, we really must be going." I say trying to get Lucy out of the awkward situation I created.

"Yes. We do have to go… Bye Logan! TTYS!" she says getting up from her seat on the bench and waving at the blonde boy.

"Wait Lucy!" he says jogging over to us. "Can I walk you guys home?"

"Yes!" Alli says quickly before Lucy has a chance to decline his offer. "You don't have to." Lucy says counteracting Allis comment.

"I want to." He says looking at Lucy. "I mean… I have nothing better to do." He says scratching the back of his neck. "Okay" Lucy says with a small grin as we start toward home.

The entire walk home, Alli and I walk a little behind Lucy and Logan to let them talk. "He is like totally in love with her." Alli announces to me with a laugh.

"I know! I have no clue how she doesn't see it. It's adorable though!" I reply.

"Speaking of adorable… What is it about this place? Every guy I have seen is super cute." She says laughing.

"I don't know. Maybe it's in the water." I joke.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. I had a lot more of a social life this week than i had anticipated. Thank you for your patience. I love you for it! Anyway this chapter is a bit longer, and kind of uneventful. I need to work on being a better writer because honestly, I suck at it. Okay so readers, please continue to review and give me suggestions, because I love to include what you want to read. Thank you to all of you! Also, if you like this pairing check out "****_You and I" _****by ChemicalPanik. It's such a great story, and the only other Cam and Clare story! Enjoy the chapter!**

When we arrive back at the house I notice that Kathleen's care is in the driveway. We go through the door, and Kathleen walks over to us with a smile. "Hello girls! You must be Alli!" she says holding her hand out to shake Alli's hand.

"Yep, and you must be Kathleen!" Alli responds grabbing her hand, and giving it a quick shake.

"Thank you so much for letting me come visit. I already missed Clare so much, and your home is beautiful." Alli says in the polite tone she uses with almost every adult.

"Oh. We are so glad to have you, and thank you! Did you meet my son Campbell yet?" Kathleen asks kindly. "Campbell, could you come out here a minute!" she calls before Alli has time to respond to the question.

Cam emerges from the hall doorway, and says "What do you need mom?" with a slightly annoyed tone. Surprisingly, Kathleen does not grill Cam on his tone, but instead calls him over eagerly "Come meet Clare's friend!"

"I met her earlier, but okay…" he says walking over to us. "Hi again" He smiles at Alli who grins back at him "Hi"

"So guys, I was thinking we could go out for dinner tonight as soon as Randall gets home. You guys should figure out where you want to go." Kathleen tells the three of us excitedly.

Cam looks at her confused. "I thought I was grounded?"

Kathleen sighs and furrows her eyebrows. "Oh. I spoke to your brother about the incident, and he told me not to worry. He's coming over later to talk with you about it, but you're ungrounded." She announces creating a huge grin on Cam's face.

"Thank you so much mom! I promise I won't let you down again!" he says hugging Kathleen quite tightly. She hugs him back warmly.

"I know you won't, because you're my baby boy." She said messing with his hair, and pinching his cheeks in a way that made Alli and I chuckle. "Mom!" he groans in embarrassment causing her to back away from him.

"Cam, go help them choose a place to eat while I change out of these scrubs." Kathleen tells Cam as she heads toward the stairs. Once she is up the stairs Cam looks at Alli and I. "So ugh. What kind of food do you guys want to get?"

"Well, I am probably not the best person to ask, because I like McDonalds." Alli says in a completely sincere tone.

Cam furrows his eyebrows and replies confused. "Okay… What about you Clare?"

"I don't know… I like Italian food, but I'm cool with whatever." I say skeptically not wanting to have to decide for everyone.

"Perfect! My mom and I like Italian food best too." He says with a laugh. "is that okay with you?" he asks Alli politely.

"Yeah" she says nonchalantly. "Cool. I'll tell my mom we are going to Giovani's" he says in a fake Italian accent. I grab his shoulder as he turns away. "Are we cool then? I mean since you're not grounded?" I ask him inquiringly.

"I guess we have to be. Right sis?" he says with an awkward smile as he walks away. When he disappears up the stairs I turn to Alli "Oh my god he just called me sis!" I say annoyed.

"Well… come on Clare, you can't get mad when he is going to be your step- brother like soon." Alli says confused at why I'm irritated.

"Ugh" I sigh loudly "I don't like it when Jake calls me that and I don't like when Cam calls me that! They are not my brothers! The one sibling I had is gone, and therefore no one is allowed to call me 'sis' ever!" I snap.

"Whoa… Calm down. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it." Alli says reassuringly.

"I know. I know. Let's just go get ready. My dad will be home soon I'm sure." I say changing the subject.

We go into my room, and change into something a little more appropriate for going to dinner. I assume the place is casual, and honestly if it's not I have nothing to wear. I did not bring fancy clothes with me nor had Alli.

When Alli and I are pleased enough with our appearance we walk out of my room to see that my dad is home, and that Cam is sitting in the living room waiting for everyone else.

"Hey Cam!" Alli says waving at him with a grin. "Hi?" he says in a confused way.

"So I have a question. Are we dressed properly for this place?" Alli asks inquiringly gesturing at her clothing.

"I guess. I don't think it really matters. Giovani's is nothing fancy."

"Kay thanks!" Alli responds excitedly before sitting on the couch across from him. I join her, and we wait for a few minutes before my dad and Kathleen are ready to go.

I am forced to sit in the middle seat next to Cam and Alli, and it is extremely awkward. My father's car is very small, and my leg was brushing against his for almost the entire ride. When we enter the restaurant it's obvious that it is a very casual family restaurant. We are seated at a table where I sit between my dad and Alli. Across from my dad sits Kathleen, while Cam is across from me.

"So girls, I was thinking that this weekend we could go to the beach, and Whimsy World, and then I took the day off on Monday, and I can take you girls wherever you want." Kathleen says energetically.

"Clare doesn't do beaches." Cam interjects looking at his mother.

"Maybe not, but I do, and Clare will deal" Alli says with a laugh.

Kathleen looks at me, and I nod in agreement to go to the beach with them. The waitress comes up, and we order what we want to eat.

"So how have you been Alli?" my dad asks my best friend politely.

"I've been super Mr. Edwards. How about you?" she asks my father back.

"I can't complain." My dad responds. "Well that's good. It's great to see you again Mr. E. You always have been my favorite friend's dad." She says sincerely

"Really?" my dad says with furrowed eyebrows. "Of course Mr. E you're the coolest." Alli says as if it's obvious.

"See Clare! I told you I was cool!" my dad comments making the word "cool" sound really uncool. Everyone at the table laughs at the comment, and our food arrives.

"What did you guys do today?" Kathleen asks all of us teenagers at the table.

"Alli and I went to the park with Lucy." I say with a slight grin. "and I went to Hockey practice and then sat at home" Cam said as soon as I finished my statement.

"Oh. How was the park, girls? I assume no one got pushed into a fountain this time?" she says giggling slightly.

"No. We steered clear of the fountain." I say laughing. "We did see the boy who pushed her n the fountain though." Alli says nudging me with her elbow. "Clare here just could not stop blushing!" All said to Kathleen jokingly causing Cam and my dad to look at me with wide confused eyes.

Kathleen smiled at me in a weird way, and the moment felt really awkward. "I was not blushing!" I say trying to get them to stop staring.

"Come on Clare, you know you like Eli!" Alli accuses.

I can tell now that I am blushing and it is obvious that I do, but still I deny. "I do not like him Alli! Drop it!" I say in an unintentionally hostile tone.

"Okay… okay. Sorry!" Alli laughs.

Our food arrives and we start eating in silence until my father asks Cam "How was hockey practice today?" before taking a sip of his water.

"It wasn't so bad today. The drills are never really fun. I'm just excited for the season to start." Cam states before taking a bite of his spaghetti.

"When is your first game again?" my dad questions curiously.

"September 5, I believe." He declares with a slight grin. Before I even get a chance to think about the significance of that date, my father interjects "What a coincidence… That is Clare's birthday!"

I put a smile on my face and nod, as Kathleen stares at me enthusiastically. "Oh how exciting Clare! I had no idea your birthday was coming up so soon… How do you want to celebrate?" Kathleen questions in a joyous tone.

I finish chewing the food I have in my mouth, before mentioning "I was thinking I would go home to celebrate that weekend, but I haven't thought about it too much."

"Come on Clare… I haven't had the chance to spend your birthday with you in ages." My dad adds looking disappointed.

"You guys are going to be busy with Cam's hockey stuff that weekend, and I don't want to take away from that. It's probably best if I just go home." I add genuinely not wanting to steal any glory away from Cam.

"Oh it wouldn't be a bother at all. We could all go to Cam's hockey game, and then out to dinner. You could bring a friend and everything! It'll be fun!" Kathleen declares happily.

I give a small smile "Well, I'll have to think about it."

By the time we make it home it is almost eight. We had talked with Kathleen on the way home, and decided that our Saturday would be spent at the beach, and our Sunday at the amusement park. I am not really thrilled to be going to the beach, but Alli wants to go, and she is the one on vacation.

I stand in front of the mirror brushing my hair, while Alli paces the floor talking about life back home over the last couple weeks.

"So, like on Tuesday, we were at the dot, and he was acting really weird. I thought he would miss me since he was away at camp for a week, but his attention was on something else. He went to the restroom, and his phone started buzzing. I took a look and it was a text from a girl asking why he just slept with her, and ignored her. When he got back I asked him about it, and he didn't even try to deny it. It's just so... ugh… you know?" she ranted clearly annoyed.

"Oh my gosh Alli, I can't believe he did that to you!" I say clearly concerned.

"I know! I am so mad at him! Now he won't stop texting me telling me how sorry he is, and he doesn't understand. I don't want to talk to him!" she blurts out angrily.

"Why didn't you call me?" I ask in a sympathetic tone.

"I don't know. I didn't really want to talk about it." She says sadly. I turn around, and embrace my best friend in a hug. "Alli, it'll be okay." I say rubbing her back.

She sniffles before pulling away from the hug. "Do you think I could take a shower?" she asks changing the mood of the conversation from serious to a much lighter one.

"Nope! Sorry Alli, you are not allowed to bathe at all while you are here." I say in a sarcastic tone.

"Haha! Come show me how to work it. I feel gross!" She says grabbing my arm and dragging me into the bathroom between mine and Cam's bedrooms.

I hang out in the living room with the rest of the household while Alli is showering.

"Hey Clarebear!" my dad greets as I sit down on the couch next to him. I cringe at the use of my dreaded childhood nickname, and notice Campbell snickering at it. "Dad...really?" I comment annoyed.

"Sorry. I forgot… Hey Clare" he declares correcting himself from before.

"Awe, what's the matter Clarebear?" Cam says still laughing. I take a deep breath, and hold in my irritation.

"So, I was thinking that we would have a little picnic at the beach. We can invite Justin, Kristine, and the baby. It'll be really fun." Kathleen announces with a grin. "I mean you kids can go off and hang out with people your age and all, but Clare I think your father and I would feel more comfortable if you and Alli stuck with Cam. We don't want you getting lost or anything." She says with a smile.

"Okay" I nod with a smile. "What time are we going?"

"Umm… don't know maybe 11. Don't worry it's flexible." Kathleen replies.

"Kay, I'm going to see if Alli is done. I'm kind of tired. Night everyone!" I say exiting the living room.

When I get to my room, Alli is inside getting ready for bed, and I join her. When we finally get laid down it seems that Alli instantly falls asleep. I guess she had a long day with the traveling and everything. I lay in the dark silence and slowly doze off.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So sorry my updates are taking so long. I have been oober busy! I appreciate that you are still reading, and please remember to review and favorite and follow. I am open to suggestions and I love to read what you have to say. Please forgive me for not updating a lot. Also thanks for reading. I hope you like this chapter! Let me know! Love you guys**

**Disclaimer: i don't own degrassi! **

The next morning I woke up at 9 to Alli's arm smacking me in the face. I woke up, and walked over to the bathroom which of course was occupied. I gave the door a few quick knocks, and heard Cam's voice on the other side. "I'm taking a shower."

"Oh, I'll try the one upstairs!" I yell before walking away from the door, and up the stairs. It turns out that the upstairs bathroom is in use as well, and by the looks of things I won't want to use it. I go back down, and wait by the door.

"Cam, please hurry! I have to pee!" I cry anxiously. "What's wrong with the other bathroom?" he yells loud enough for me to hear above the water.

"My dad is in there." I reply quickly. "Gross! I'll be out in a bit." He says causing me to laugh a bit.

A few minutes later I knock again, and this time I hear the water shut off. "Clare, I will be out momentarily! Hold your horses!" he says jokingly. "Cam, I have to go!" I yell annoyed. A minute later the door opens and out emerges Campbell in only a towel soaking wet.

I find myself staring at him until he comments. "Clare, I thought you had to pee?"

"Oh, right." I say awkwardly backing into the bathroom not taking my eyes from him. Distracted, I accidentally bang my leg on the towel cupboard, and Cam looks at me with furrowed eyebrows. I quickly close the door, and use the restroom.

Back in my room Alli is still asleep, but knowing Alli she will take at least three hours to get ready so I wake her up. Alli is not really a morning person, so it takes a few different tries to wake her. I end up waking her by hitting her with a pillow.

"It's 9:20! You might want to wake up!" I yell attempting to get her out of bed!

"Okay Clare, I'm up!" she yells annoyed. We take turns showering, and I put on my one piece swim suit despite how insecure I feel in it. Over my swim suit I wear a dress that I do not plan on taking off. When Alli joins me in my room after her shower she is wearing a bikini, and short shorts, and I raise an eyebrow at her appearance. "Do your parents know you own that clothing?" I ask her appalled at what she is wearing. "No, and they never will." She answers confidently.

"You realize we are going to the beach with my dad and future step mom right?" I question knowing that she does.

"Oh relax! I'm putting a shirt on over this for when we are around them! I'm not stupid." she responds acting like I am overreacting. She reaches into her bag and puts on a fitted t-shirt gesturing to it to ask if it was alright.

I glance at her with a reassuring smile. "Better!"

We finish getting ready and help Kathleen with the picnic lunch, while my dad and Cam pack up the car. Justin, Kristine, and baby Amanda walk in through the front door, and Kathleen tells us that Alli and I are going to ride with them because their car is bigger, and my dad's is full of beach stuff. I don't have an issue with that, and I figure that it is better than having Cam ride with Justin when they really don't get along.

Kathleen drags Alli and me into the living room to introduce her to everyone.

"Justin, Kristine this is Alli, Clare's friend. She is visiting this week from Canada." Kathleen announces delightedly. "Hi!" Alli waves awkwardly at them with a grin.

"It's great to meet you." Kristine says shaking Alli's hand, while Justin just nods at the comment. The car ride to the beach was kind of fun. Justin is actually really funny, and was joking around a bunch.

When we got to the beach parking lot, Kathleen passed around a container of SPF 50. "Clare, you are so fair you make sure you have enough sun block on!" Kathleen comments with concern.

"Okay" I nod squirting a large glob of the lotion in my hand.

Kathleen picks a picnic table, and Alli and I help get everything situated. Once we are finished Alli grabs my arm, and drags me to the water which is completely gorgeous. The water is surprisingly almost as warm as the air outside, but I think that it is a good thing. We are wading in the water when I see Cam coming toward the water in the same way that we had, quick and with a pained expression from the heat of the sand.

When his feet hit the water he gives out a sigh of relief. "Hey Cam!" I greet nicely.

"Hi… Oh my gosh that sand is hot. Anyway, I'm going to walk around, and my mom told me to ask you if you guys wanted to come?" He says politely.

"Do you care if we go?" Alli asks him quizzically. "No not really." He laughs and looks at her confused. "Well, if it's not a bother… I'd kind of like to go. Clare?" she grins at me. "Sure, why not?" I respond before we follow Cam up the beach. We get back to the picnic table where we grab our flip flops, and Kathleen tells us to be back in an hour for lunch.

We stay a few feet behind Cam. When we get far enough away from the picnic table, Alli decides to strip herself of the t-shirt, and I give her a disapproving glare which of course she ignores. We keep walking until we hear a voice calling "Hey Rookie, what brings you to the beach, I thought you were grounded?"

Cam stops in his tracks, and hesitantly turns to a group of teenagers. "Hey Dallas." Cam says hesitantly walking over to them while Alli and I stand on the paved path we were walking on.

"Lie to us Rook?" the guy named Dallas I had met on my first day here questions.

"No of course not, I got ungrounded last night." Cam says nervously. "In that case, you gonna hang with us bro?" one of the boys I hadn't met asks Cam. "Uhh, I can't. I am walking around with Clare and her friend." He says gesturing back to us.

Dallas looks over Cam to Alli and me. "Hey Clare" he says politely "Clare's friend!" he greets Alli with a wink that makes her blush. "It's Alli!" she says with a flirty grin that makes me roll my eyes.

"You girls are welcome to join us too." Dallas declares. Alli looks at me, and just like always she gets what she wants. I can never say no to her, and I really don't know why. I nod at her pleading eyes, and then she replies with a simple. "Sounds like fun."

"Cool" Dallas says getting up from his seat on the hood of a car, and walking over to Alli. He looks her up and down, and she he. "Hi, I'm Mike Dallas, but everyone calls me Dallas."

"Hi Dallas." Alli greets in an obviously flirty way. It is super annoying that she is acting like this, but I understand why she is doing it. She feels hurt since Dave cheated on her, and being Alli she is going to do everything in her power to get over him as quickly as possible, even if it means dressing in tiny bikinis, and acting like a boy crazy monkey.

I walk closer to Cam feeling uncomfortable standing next to Alli while she is all over some random guy, and notice that I recognize some of the faces in this group. Most of the guys I had seen in the house with Cam at one point or another. Thankfully Drew was not one of the boys here today, because that would have made this a lot more awkward than it is.

Cam turns to face me, and looks really nervous when he whispers "I don't want to be here." I glance toward Alli who is looking up at Dallas with goo-goo eyes.

I shrug at Cam confused, and he sighs annoyed in response. "Wait, what's wrong, aren't these your friends?"I ask in a hushed tone so that no one, but Cam could hear me. He looks nervously at the group to the left. I can't tell exactly who he is staring at, but it is definitely one of them.

I nudge his shoulder quickly so that he looks at me. "You seem really upset. What is it?' I ask him concerned.

"Maya's older sister is over there, and I'm sure she knows about what happened and why Maya broke up with me" he says anxiously.

"Do you think that she'll say something?" I ask bewildered at why he was so scared.

"Not exactly, when Maya and I started dating back in eighth grade, Katie told me that f I ever hurt her that she would personally castrate me" He chokes out with fear in his eyes. I can't help, but giggle at how terrified he is. "She was just being a big sister. I don't think you have anything to worry about it." I reassure him, slightly amused by his fear.

"You don't know Katie. She has a black belt!" he adds petrified.

"Cam, she's not going to hurt you!" I declare laughing. Just then a girl looks over to Cam with a death glare, and he gulps loudly. Her stare even frightens me, so I turn to him and say "Let's get Alli and go back. We don't have to stay." I mention to him once I see his knees buckling. Although I don't believe she will hurt him, I can see he is genuinely scared and I don't blame him. If looks could kill… we would be dead.

I grab Cam's arm and drag him over to Alli who is twirling her hair and acting like a total dits. I tap her shoulder and she turns around annoyed. "What?" she asks harshly.

"We are going back to the picnic table" I inform her, before she asks "Okay… why?"in a confused way.

"I'll tell you later. We have to go though." I say grabbing her arm. "Okay… Bye Dallas it was really nice meeting you!" she flirts flipping her hair before we start back to the group.

"So why are we going so soon?" Alli asks Cam and I inquiringly. I shoot Cam a look that asks him whether or not I can tell her, and he takes a deep breath while rolling his eyes. "You're gonna tell her anyway right?" he asks defeated, and I nod to confirm his accusations. "Probably."

"So I told you about Cam's girlfriend right. So anyway her sister was there, and Campbell here is terrified of her!" I said the last part with a laugh, and he rolled his eyes before shoving my shoulder lightly.

"Why are you scared of her?" Alli asks as if it is ridiculous. "Apparently, she told him that she would 'castrate' him if he hurt her sister." I state using air quotes, and a light tone.

"…And so you hurt her sister… by kissing Clare…smart boy." Alli interjects jokingly.

"Okay, can we not talk about this?" Trying to forget t ever happened!" I mention attempting to change the subject. "No offense!" I add turning toward Campbell. "None taken. I completely agree." Cam comments awkwardly.

When we get back to the beach my dad and Kathleen are sitting in the shade with adorable little Amanda, and my dad asks us "Why are you guys back so soon?"

"Just bored I guess." Cam says fishing a can of soda out of the cooler.

"Well are you hungry? We can eat now if you want." Kathleen says playing with the infant sitting on her lap.

"I'm not really hungry." Cam answers. Kathleen looks up at Alli and I. "Girls? What about you?"

I turn to Alli who shakes her head, and respond with "We aren't hungry either."

We sit down with them at the picnic table a few minutes before Kathleen looks at all three of us strangely. "What are kids doing? Go have fun! Go swimming, play Frisbee, build a sand castle! Just don't sit here doing nothing." She cries jokingly.

I smile at her, and Cam turns to Alli and I. "What do you guys want to do?"

I think about it for a moment before saying "I wouldn't mind playing Frisbee."

Alli nods and Cam gets up from the picnic table. "Kay, I'll go get the Frisbee." He comments walking over to grab the Frisbee. We find an area clear of people but still close to the table, and start playing. It takes only a few moments for Cam's brother and sister in-law to join us. We learn that Alli is terrible at Frisbee. She rarely catches it, and when she throws the Frisbee it goes in a completely different direction.

I fling the Frisbee toward Alli who does not catch it. She picks it up, and tosses it to Campbell. He dives for it, and ends up doing a face plant into the sand. "Ouch" I utter when I see that he has a huge red mark on his left cheek.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" Alli apologizes with wide eyes as he gets up from the ground. He rubs his cheek in pain. "It's fine."

Justin stands back a few feet laughing j=his head off, and I rush over to look at Cam's face.

"Oh my. That has got to hurt. Let's go get you some ice" I say as I walk him back to the picnic table.

"Gosh what happened?" Kathleen asks as she catches a glimpse of Cam's scraped up face. She hands the baby to my dad, and springs up to get a better look. "Let's bring you to the car. I need my first aid kit." Kathleen says as she guides Cam off of the beach.

"Mom, I'm fine!" Cam says annoyed as they walk off of the beach. When they are out of sight I turn away and walk back over to Alli.

"Great job, Alli!" I declare sarcastically when I get to her.

"It was an accident." She says defensibly. Cam's brother walks over to us, and pats Alli's back. "Don't worry. He'll be fine. That was nothing compared to the hockey injuries he has had, and he hasn't even started playing with the big dogs yet." He mentions with a laugh.

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously. "Well this is his first year in a junior hockey league. I mean it's nothing like what I play in College, but it's a lot more intense than what he's used to. He'll be fine though. I would never tell him this, but he's really good." Justin says smiling proudly.

"Oh. Okay" I respond nicely before seeing Campbell and Kathleen make their way back on to the beach. I watch him a few moments as Kathleen gives him a baggie of ice from the cooler, and he holds it to his cheek. He walks back over to us holding the ice to his cheek, and I ask him "Are you alright?" In a sincere voice.

"Yeah" he shrugs coolly. "It doesn't even hurt." He adds pulling the ice bag off of his face. "See no big deal" he says pointing to his red scraped cheek.

"What did your mom do to it?" Alli asks curiously still feeling terrible about it. "She plucked the grains of sand stuck in my face off, and disinfected it." He states wincing at the thought of it.

"I'm so sorry!" Alli says sincerely. He grins at her, and shakes his head. "It's fine." He assures us.

"It's your own fault. You shouldn't have gone for it!" Justin adds slapping Cam's back.

Cam closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath. It appears that he is holding in a bit of annoyance, so I decide to change the subject. "I'm kind of hungry. Maybe we should go see if everyone else is ready to eat?" I ask Cam trying to get him out of his angry little world.

"Yeah" he says starting back to the table. Alli and I follow behind, and when we get to the rest of the group I ask my dad if we can eat, and he rounds up Justin and Kristy.

We start eating the sandwiches that Alli and I helped Kathleen make. I sit at the table next to Cam, and can't help but notice that even with his cheek all scraped up, he is cute. When I find myself staring, quickly shake myself out of it remembering that I can't like him. Not only is he going to be my brother, I also think I like Eli. It's not the first time I have liked two guys at the same time, but it is the most confusing. "You excited for your first game?" Justin asks from across the table with a mouth full of sandwich.

I notice Cam look up and nod happily. One he finishes chewing the bite of watermelon in his mouth he answers "Yeah. I can't wait. Are you guys going to come?" he asks his brother and sister in-law.

"We wouldn't miss it." Kristy responds sweetly causing Cam to smile bigger.

Justin swallows his bite of food, and gives a serious look to Cam. "So I was talking to dad, and he's really proud of you. He wants to go too if that's okay with you?" he asks Cam in the most sincere voice he had ever used with his brother in my presence. It is the first time I have heard regarding Campbell's dad, and honestly hadn't thought of him having another parent.

Cam swallows loudly, and his previously happy demeanor diminishes. "No!" he says harshly. "I don't want to see him." He finishes with a frown.

"Cam, he's getting better." Justin says clearly trying to change Cam's mind.

"I said no!" Cam snaps at him causing my dad and Kathleen to look over to our side of the table. Cam leaves the table, and storms of angrily, and I am very curious as to why.

"What's going on?" Kathleen asks us all concerned. "Nothing mom" Justin says going after Cam. Kathleen and my dad continue to look at us confused, and Alli and I just shrug.

"Justin brought up Gary." Kristy says explain the situation. "Why would he do that? He knows how much it upsets Cam." My dad says shaking his head.

We finish eating our food awkwardly, and leave as soon as Justin and Cam return. The ride home with Justin and Kristine is a confusing one. They are arguing about what happened at the beach, and I can't keep up with all of the interrupting each other's sentences. By the time they drop Alli and I off they stopped fighting, and Kristine apologizes for their "rudeness", but I still have no idea what is going on.

"It's fine. Thanks for the ride." I say exiting the car with Alli behind me.

We go back into the house where my dad and Kathleen are talking, and Cam is nowhere in sight.

"What's going on?" I ask them when there is a pause in their serious conversation. "Cam has some issues with his father." My dad says as if I hadn't figured that part out already.

I choose not to continue asking my dad who seemed irritated at my question, and walk into the hall between me and Cam's rooms while Alli swiftly follows.

I contemplate knocking on Cam's door to find out what is wrong, but ultimately I decide I should not leave Alli alone when everyone is so tense. We take turns changing out of our swim suits and go upstairs to the family room, and watch a movie.

We spend most of our time talking about the possibilities of what could be going on with my new family. It seems that I am left out of everything no matter where I go. I Guess I can always ask Cam later and I assume he will tell me, but I can't be sure.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So guys this chapter is really long, and all from Cam's pov. It is probably the most jam packed chapters ever. Please remember to review, and favorite, and follow. It is very much appreciated, and I hope you like it. I worked really hard on this, and it was kind of emotionally draining. lol I really hope that you like it as much as I do. Thanks for the continued Support.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own degrassi**

**Thanks again!**

Cam's POV

I woke up to my alarm clock blaring. Five-thirty AM and time to get up from hockey practice. I wish that I didn't have to go, but of course I have to. I sigh deeply before sitting up, and stumbling lazily through my dark bedroom. I hit the light switch on, and am stunned by the bright light.

I let my eyes adjust to before opening the door only to see that someone is in the bathroom. I knock slowly still not fully awake, and a voice responds "just a minute" in a sleepy voice. My tiredness prevents me from being able to tell who the voice belonged to, but after what felt like hours Alli emerged from the restroom, and went back into Clare's room.

I groggily walk into the bathroom and enter the shower. I can't stop thinking about yesterday, and how for the first time since Clare told me about her sister I cut. I didn't know how else to deal with it all. I try my best to forget about my father's existence, but Justin always brings him up telling him I should talk to him.

My father is a joke. All throughout my childhood he would drink way too much, and when he got drunk he got violent.

-flashback-

We were huddled in the corner scared out of our minds, me crying my eyes out and twelve year old Justin trying to protect me. It had been this way for as long as I remember, my father coming home at night in a drunken rage. He threw picture frames and lamps, and mom tried her best to dodge them while still protecting us from his wrath.

"You're drunk. Don't let your children see you like this. Please Gary, just go to bed." My mom pleads trying to get him away from us.

"You don't tell me what to do you dumb b*tch" he slurred before slapping her across the face with force. Tears start falling from her eyes, and I want nothing more than to run over to her, and give her a hug to make her feel better, but Justin stops me warning that it would make things worse.

"Shut up slut!" He yells loudly, and grabs her arm yanking her close to him just to smack her again.

I started crying louder, and his attention was brought from mom to us. "Quiet down you little brat!" he screamed, and Justin covered my mouth trying to shut me up, but only making me scream harder.

"Shut that kid up b*tch!" he screamed at my mom pointing to me. She ran over to us in the corner, and desperately tried to make me quiet my screams. I keep screaming, and he roughly pulls my mother away from me by the hair making her scream in pain.

Justin puts me behind him in the corner, and I keep crying. "Dad, please don't hurt him. He's scared. He doesn't mean to cry." Justin begs still blocking me from his furry.

Just then he is torn away from me by the arm, and I am left by myself in the corner crying. My mom tries to get to me, but can't.

Then I am picked up, and screamed at for what felt like hours and he even tries to hit me at one point, but my mom stops him, and yells for Justin to call the police.

-Present day-

That night my dad was carried away in hand-cuffs, and I haven't seen him since. He wasn't in jail for longer than a night, but my mom won the battle for full custody. I know that he lives in an apartment on the other side of town, and Justin tells me that he stopped drinking. I don't care though. He hit my mom, and tried to hit us on multiple occasions. I hate him!

Justin tells me that he was diagnosed with chronic depression, and that he is on medication, and I can tell that I am just like him. I may have not been diagnosed, but normal people don't feel like this. There is nothing I fear more in this world than turning out like him, an abusive husband and father who can't step away from a bottle long enough to realize he is hurting everyone around him.

Of course there were good times. He actually taught me how to skate and ride a bike, but that doesn't change the fact that he made our lives a living hell.

I get out of the shower, and realize that I spent way too much time ruminating in the past when I should have been getting ready for hockey practice.

I quickly throw on some clothes, and find my phone which of course had several messages from Dallas telling me to get my butt outside. I grab my hockey bag, and rush out the door to see that Dallas is waiting in his car. I quickly throw my bag in the back seat, and sit in the passenger seat.

"What took so long Rookie? And what's up with your face?" Dallas asks me with an obvious annoyance.

"I'm sorry dude. I was running late this morning, and I fell yesterday."

"Well, get on track! Coach is gonna flip if we're late." He says pulling out of the driveway carelessly almost causing us to get hit by another car.

He speeds to the rink where we rush to the locker room. We get our gear on quickly, and make it out just in time for the first drill.

"Saunders, Dallas, Why are you so late?" The coach yells at us.

"Sorry coach Saunders was taking his sweet time getting ready this morning." Dallas says throwing me under the bus, and causing the coach to glare at me.

I swallow deeply. "Sorry, won't happen again." I say nervously.

"Better not! We took a chance putting you on this team Saunders. Do not let us down!" He screams as I get on to the ice.

This is why I get stressed. There is so much pressure for me to do well at everything, and It kills me inside. I do the drills with the rest of team, and Coach Davidson gives us a speech about working hard, and getting ready for our first game. When we are dismissed he pulls me off to the side telling me that I am the person carrying the team, and even if I am young I need to work harder than everyone else. More pressure!

I get into the locker room, and start stripping myself of my hockey gear.

"So Rook, your step sister's friend, she's… cute!" Dallas says with a grin.

"I guess so. I haven't really looked too hard." I say thinking about Alli and realizing that she is really pretty, but not really my type.

"I was thinking that I would ask her out. Do you know if she's single?" he asks me quizzically.

"Umm… no, but she's leaving on Wednesday to go home." I say reminding him that she isn't from here.

"Well then I better move fast. You're going to invite me over today right?" Dallas asks me expecting I'll say yes.

"Sorry Dallas we are going to Whimsy world today." I say breaking the news. "Even better, I have a season pass. What time should I be there?" he asks me obviously quite smitten with Alli.

"I don't know noon… Are you sure man? She's leaving in three days she might want to spend her time here with Clare." I point out causing Dallas to think for a minute. "Man, your cool with Clare right?" Dallas asks me desperately, and I nod back at him. "Maybe we could go on a like a double date, but not really a date for you guys. We can hang out, and I can get to know Alli…" he says in an obviously dazed mind set.

"Dallas, you don't even know if she's available for sure, maybe it's not a good idea." I mention trying to talk him out of getting involved with a girl who lives so far away.

"There's something about her though. I can't stop thinking about her." He says staring at the wall, but probably thinking about Alli.

I raise an eyebrow at him, but he doesn't notice. "You're not gonna let me say no, are you?" I ask knowing the answer even before he nods his head enthusiastically.

"Fine!" I say in a defeated tone "If she says yes, I'll go on your little 'double date', but nothing crazy!"

A smile comes across Dallas's face, and it is obvious that Alli has made her mark on him, even with such a brief conversation.

"What is this I see? Is Mike Dallas, player of all players thinking about one girl for longer than a minute?" Owen butts in sarcastically.

"I know, I have no idea what's wrong with me?" he says pulling his t-shirt over his head. "Ready to go Rook?" He asks me knowing that I am standing there waiting for him. "Yeah, whenever you are." I answer back with a nod.

"Milligan, Baker, you need a ride?" Dallas asks his other friends on the team.

"Nah, my mom's coming to get me." Luke says walking out of the locker room.

"Oooo, your mommy's coming!" Owen says teasingly as he exits. "Yeah, I could use a ride" he says afterward finally answering the question. "k, you ready cause we're leaving?" Dallas asks Owen as he grabs his own hockey duffel. Owen follows us out of the locker room and into Dallas's Car where he sits in the front seat. They decide to blare hardcore rap music the whole way home, and it gives me a headache.

When we pull up to my house I thank Dallas for the ride, and walk through the door to see everyone eating breakfast at the table.

I pull up an extra chair from the corner, and sit with them because I am kind of hungry after 2 hours of practice drills.

"Hey Cam how was practice?" my mom asks with a smile.

"It was fine." I say before grabbing a slice of bacon from a plate in the middle of the table.

When we all finish eating which is minutes after got there, we start getting ready for Whimsy World.

I walk out of my room, wearing a different pair of shorts and t-shirt, and see Clare standing in front of the hallway mirror applying some sort of makeup. She was wearing those short shorts again, the ones that make me crazy. She looks beautiful all the time, and she is so sweet and caring. Why can't I just have her? I ask myself knowing full well why.

I shake out of my thought, and walk into the kitchen where I see Randall in a suit. "Not going with us?" I ask him curiously. "Nope, I have a work luncheon at one, but I might come down afterward.

I nod thinking that his response was fine. It doesn't bother me that he won't be there, until I consider the fact that that means I will be forced to spend all day with my mom.

I like Randall. He is a nice guy, and he doesn't drink. I see that my mom is happy with him, and who am I to get in the way of that? From what I can tell he likes us. Mom had boyfriends that really didn't care for me at all, so he was definitely an improvement from them. He talks to me a lot actually, and even if Justin doesn't really like our mom dating at all, I don't mind it.

I wasn't ever alive when things were good with my dad in the house, and sometimes I think that it's my fault that everything turned out the way it did, but then I remember that it's okay because we are all better off.

"Hey Cam, if it's okay with you I'm probably not going to stay the whole time. I have to go grocery shopping, and you know how I get with the rides. You'll stay with Clare and Alli won't you?" My mom asks clearly thinking that she is letting me down when in fact, I couldn't be happier. I can walk around with people my age, and not be laughed at for still going to Whimsy World with my mom.

"Of course I'll stay with them." I say with a smile before walking out of the kitchen. I look at the analog clock on the wall, and realize that it is almost noon, and everyone is just about ready. Well I must be good at estimating time.

Five minutes later we are in the car, and on our way to the small park. We get there, and my mom parks the car as close to the entrance as she can, but because it is a Sunday we are still pretty far away.

I walk with my drawstring backpack next to my mom while Clare and Alli follow behind slowly.

"Cam, I'm going to just get you guys your tickets and go. I'll give you some money for lunch, but I have to get those groceries." She says as we walk in to the park entrance. "Okay mom!" I say getting into the line formed at the ticket booth.

Alli and Clare and I get our wrist bands, and my mom leaves handing me a twenty for lunch for all of us. "Text me when you're ready to go home guys!" she waves as she walks out, and we are left standing there awkwardly until I feel a buzzing in my pocket.

It's a text message from Dallas that reads "Hey are you here?"

I text him back "Yeah by the entrance."

It takes barely two minutes for Dallas to walk over to us. "Hey, sup man?" He says as if he wasn't expecting to see me.

"Oh not much, just hanging out!" I reply playing along. "So Dallas, you wanna hang with us? It's always easier to do rides in even numbers?" I ask him pulling out the best excuse I could think of.

"Sure thing" he says thanking me with his eyes. "As long as I get to ride with this beautiful lady." He says gesturing to Alli, and causing her to smile.

"No can do. I call dibs!" Clare says linking arms with Alli. "Well, maybe just a few rides." Alli says smiling at him, and freeing her arm from Clare.

"Okay, way to ditch me?" Clare says as Alli and Dallas flirt with each other grossly and walk further into the park.

She walks up next to me and sighs in disbelief. "It's okay Clare. You've got me to ride with." I say happily patting her on the back.

"Oh, I feel so much better!" she says sarcastically starting to follow Alli and Dallas.

"Well sorry I'm not good enough for you!" I say in a jokingly hurt tone.

"Well I didn't mean it like that! I just thought she would want to hang out with me." Clare says as we pace behind Alli and Dallas.

"I know how you meant it. You hate me." I say in a humorous tone.

"I do not hate you. I just feel like Alli is always ditching me for boys." Clare says annoyed.

"Oh Chill, you'll have your chance to blow her off for boys." I say teasingly, and making a smile appear across her face.

We keep following Alli and Dallas until they stop in front of the old wooden roller coaster, and get in line. "Guess we're riding this." I say gesturing to the coaster, and letting Clare walk in front of me in the line unenthused. When we board the ride Clare and I sit in the seats in front of Alli and Dallas, and they just will not stop flirting. I feel bad that Clare is being blown off by her friend, and even worse that it's kind of my fault.

When the coaster starts, and we go up the first hill Clare is just sitting there next to me pouting, but when the ride is over and we are getting off she looks like she is having a lot more fun.

We walk next to the flirty pair now, and to my surprise they actually acknowledge our existence.

"What do you guys want to ride next?" Dallas asks the three of us, but mostly talking to the girls. "I don't care, just nothing too spinny" Alli says making spinning motions with her finger.

"How about the haunted house ride?" Dallas asks her pointing to the attraction.

"Ooo yeah" Alli says excitedly running to the start of the line grabbing Dallas's hand. Clare and I once again follow behind, and she looks uneasy.

"Are you scared?" I ask her leaning against the metal railing guiding the line.

"No of course not" she denies obviously lying. "Clare I rode this when I was two you have nothing to be afraid of." I tell her reassuringly.

"I said that I'm not scared." She adds defensively. "Okay" I say putting my hands up. I Find myself staring at her, and have to stop thinking about how adorable she looks when she's angry at me.

When we reach the front of the line, we decide that once again I am riding with Clare, and I am completely content with that. She is after all a lot prettier than Dallas, and I am anticipating a very frightened Clare when the loud horn blows at the end.

We get on to the ride, and it starts into the first area. It is not at all scary until we get to the part where things jump out at you, and having been on this ride at least a billion times I just watch all of Clare's reactions, and she is frightened by everything that jumps out. At one point she even digs her head into my shoulder, until she realizes who we are and why it's wrong. I laugh at her when the final horn blows, and she jumps three feet in the air.

"Well that wasn't fun!" she says as we exit the cart. "I don't know, I thought it was pretty amusing!" I say laughing at her.

"You suck!" She says pushing me, and I just grin at her beauty.

We find Alli and Dallas quickly, and continue walking around the park riding miscellaneous rides. At one point we decide to ride the pirate ship ride that swings back and forth. "Clare?" a black haired boy says from behind her while she yaps enthusiastically about how much fun she is having.

She turns around, and backs toward me noticing how close she is standing to the guy. "Hi Eli!" she says excitedly biting her lip and running her finger through her hair.

"Fancy seeing you here." He says grinning at her. Eli? Is this the same Eli who pushed her into a fountain? The same guy who Alli says she has the hots for? By the way she is flirting my thinking is confirmed, and I can't help but feel jealous.

They keep talking, Clare not paying any attention to Alli, Dallas, or me and him completely ignoring his friends. They are looking at each other like they are the only people here, and it makes my stomach queasy. I stare at a tree until Clare taps my shoulder. "You wouldn't mind if I rode with Eli would you?" she asks me grinning.

I swallow loudly "No, no go ahead." I say trying to hide my disapointment. Why does she have to like someone else? I mean sure…maybe I still love Maya, but she will never take me back after finding another girls bra in my room, and I like Clare too. She is so easy to talk to, and so beautiful. We have fun together, and that will all change the minute this Eli guy asks her out.

I decide to just sit this one out, and watch as Eli and Clare have a great time. When they get off Clare and Eli are still talking and she is touching his arm, and looking at him longingly. I just can't look anymore; it's killing me so I start walking off on my own.

I find myself sitting alone on the ground watching all of the happy people pass by. Much to my dismay I notice that Maya is here with our once mutual friends Tori, Tristan, and Zig. Seeing them all together just confirms my suspicions that my friends from middle school probably all hate me, and why shouldn't they? I am a terrible person. I feel my eyes tear up at the realization that everything is going wrong. I have very few real friends left. I like two girls, and both want nothing to do with me, and my dad who I hate is trying to get back into my life.

I detect eyes staring me, and look up to see that the four people that were once my best friends watching me cry giving me wicked looks. The only one who looks the least bit forgiving is Maya, and that is probably because she knows about some of my past with self- harm.

I get up quickly, and wipe my eyes before walking away not wanting them to stare any longer. I find a place to sit in one of the parks few smoking sections that are almost never occupied, and continue pondering my screwed up life.

I feel my phone buzzing and suspect that it is either Dallas or Clare asking where I am, but instead it is Maya.

"Are you okay? Where are you? Can we talk?" the text reads.

I smile through my tears at the text. Even if she is just scared that I'll hurt myself, it makes me happy to hear from her. It has been a week since she stormed out of my house completely disgusted with me, and I miss her a lot.

I text back "Not really, near the Ferris wheel, and definitely" It takes seconds for her to come into my line of view, and all I want is to run, and give her a hug. I refrain from running over to her knowing she has to still be mad at me.

She sits down next to me on the bench. "Cam…" she says in a worried tone, and I look up at her with my tear filled eyes. "What's wrong?" she asks me concerned.

"Everything." I say sniffling. She grabs my hand, and looks at my arm and furrows her brow when she moves my arm band and sees the fresh cuts. "Talk to me!" she says sincerely bringing my hand to her lap.

I gulp loudly, and look at her sadly. "I don't even know where to start." I say holding back tears in my eyes.

"Cam, I'm worried about you." She says in a sweet and understanding tone that makes me wonder why she cares. "I really miss you M, and I'm so sorry." I tell her sincerely.

"I miss you too Cheesy." She smiles at me. "Now tell me why you did this?" she asks grabbing my arm gently. These moments are what I miss most about Maya. I have always been able to talk to her, and even when I did something so terrible, she still cares about me.

"My dad… he has been trying to see me all summer, and now Justin is talking to him and lobbying for me to talk to him too. No one understands that I just don't want to see him." I say letting tears fall from my eyes.

She doesn't say anything in return; instead she opens her arms, and hugs me. I am surprised that she is being so sweet after all the pain I have caused her. She had said the last time I saw her that she never wanted to speak to me again, and I don't blame her. I guess she changed her mind, and I thank gosh that she is here to comfort me because of everything that is going on. She just holds onto me for a while, and I take in the sweet smell of jasmine in her hair that I have missed so much as I lean on her shoulder.

"I love you Maya." I say still hugging her, but as soon as I do she pulls away. I had never actually told her I loved her because my brother had always told me it would be ridiculous.

"W-What did you just say?" she asks pushing her hair behind her ear, and listening to me carefully. At this moment I got really nervous, and remembered that we are technically broken up.

"I said… that I… I love you." I say uncertainly. She looks at me awkwardly, and get up stiffly "i have to go… See you when school starts." She sighs, and walks away into the distance. Why did I just say that to her? I am such an idiot. I can't just cheat on her, and then say that.

She's never going to give me a chance ever again, and I have to deal with that. I have to deal by moving on. It does help a lot that she doesn't seem nearly as mad anymore, but she still ran when I used the L word, and I can't say that I wouldn't do the same in her situation. I look at my phone again, and realize that I have more texts that I didn't notice receiving.

"Where are you?" reads a text from Clare. "Dude, where did you go?" another from Dallas reads. I respond to the text from Dallas saying that I am by the Ferris wheel. He responds by telling me to meet them at the bumper cars, and I start toward them. When I get there, the sun is starting to set, and the lights for the rides turn on.

"Cam, where were you?" Clare asks me. "Have you been crying?" she asks once she is close enough to see my face in the dim light of the bumper cars ride.

"Yeah, but I'm fine." I say wiping my eyes one more time before Alli and Dallas walk over to me.

"Where's Eli?" I ask Clare in an obviously aggravated tone. "He went home. What's wrong?" she asks me concerned.

"Nothing. I am absolutely fine! Happy even. Look" I say curtly giving her a really big fake smile.

"Dude, calm down." Dallas says watching me freak out at Clare.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to freak out at anyone." I say sincerely. I really didn't mean to be so short with Clare. It's not her fault Maya didn't return the "I love you", and it wasn't her fault that she didn't like me. It just is upsetting. Like I said, my life is going crazy. I take a deep breath, and suddenly feel a lot calmer.

"What next guys?" I ask anxiously rubbing my hands together.

"Well… I was thinking we could take them on the sky ride, and then the Ferris wheel… maybe play a few games before heading home?"

"Sounds like fun." Alli adds staring at Dallas in admiration. I can't help, but wonder if he has asked her out yet, but guess that he probably did.

We start toward the sky ride which is relatively close to the bumper cars, and of course, I end up riding with Clare. Since the sky ride is kind of slow and not a thrill ride, Clare tries to talk to me.

"So, where did you run off to?" she asks me curiously. "I wasn't feeling well, and I ran into Maya… I told her that I was sorry, and that I loved her. She was acting friendly until I told her that I love her." I say ranting.

"Oh… I'm sorry." She says awkwardly, and I can tell she doesn't know what to say. I sigh loudly before looking at her. "So I imagine that you want to know what happened yesterday." I say completely prepared to tell her about my father.

"Kind of… you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She replies hesitantly.

"I hate my dad. He is a total jerk. He beat my mom for years, and he's an alcoholic." I say forwardly. I figure that it's easier to talk to Clare about my hatred toward my dad rather than my love of Maya, and I am right.

"So, he wants to see you again?" She asks trying to get some clarity on the situation.

"Yeah" I say nodding. "But I don't want to see him."

"Well, it's your choice. Why is Justin trying to pressure you into talking to him?" she asks with curiosity in her tone.

"I guess that he thinks I should give him a chance to be my dad because he's sober, but I don't need a father and I never will."I say trying my best to think of Justin's motivation behind it.

"That sucks." She says with a frown. "And if you ever need a dad, I'm pretty sure mine prefers you to me." She says with a smile breaking the awkwardness.

"Oh Clare, that is not even remotely true. Randall never stopped talking about you before you got here. It actually got pretty annoying, but then you got here, and I could see that surprisingly you are just as great as he always said." I say teasingly.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" she asks me in a sarcastic tone.

"Yes… yes it is." I say as we get off of the ride.

I get a call from my mom asking if we are ready to leave, and then Dallas offers to give us a ride home. "Be home before eleven" my mom says after I tell her we don't need her to come get us.

"K, will do" I reply before we hang up. We end up skipping the Ferris wheel, and going right to the games. Dallas wins Alli a bear, and that is when he takes the opportunity to ask her out. She says "yes", and Clare gives her a menacing look."… but only if Clare comes along." She finishes causing Dallas to look at me questioning if I was still down for the "double date" idea he had suggested earlier. I nod, and he makes the suggestion to the girls, and Alli quickly agrees before Clare has any chance to object.

When we finally get home it is ten, and I am more than certain we are all exhausted from a day of fun, and craziness. I shower quickly, and pass out as soon as my head hits the pillow.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I am sorry it took a while for an update. I hope you guys like this chapter. I am warning you now though... not my best. I'm kind of falling asleep while typing,Anyway review and all of that stuff. I appreciate you reading. Thanks kiddos!**

Clare's POVi

It's Sunday night. Well technically it's Monday morning because it's 2 AM, and I can't sleep. I don't know whether it's excitement or nervousness keeping me up all night, but I do know that if I can't fall asleep soon I will not be a happy camper for the first day of school tomorrow.

I can't quiet my thoughts long enough to get some rest. I keep thinking about the last few weeks, and how this place is nothing like I thought it would be. I think about my first week here, and how happy I am that those mistakes haven't made everything unbearably awkward. For the most part we have both forgotten about it. I think about how I have messed up Cam's life a ton, and how I have no clue how to fix it. I think about how I miss my mother and all of her craziness, and lastly I think about Alli, and how earlier when we were on the phone all she could talk about was Dallas.

She likes him a lot, and that was obvious by her date with him. It was completely uncomfortable for Cam and I because while we were supposed to be watching a movie and having pizza at Dallas's house, they thought it would be more fun to make out. Cam and I ended up sitting in the kitchen awkwardly the whole night waiting for them to finish sucking each other's faces.

I switch gears to what I'm going to wear tomorrow. I have the clothes that I got at the mall with Lucy and her friends and some more things that I got on Saturday with Kathleen, but I hadn't thought about outfits for school too much. I finally fall asleep at three n the morning while deciding what to wear tomorrow.

Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep my phone alarm sounds before I swipe the screen, and rub my eyes. It's six in the morning, and time to get ready for school. I roll out of bed, shower, and get dressed in a black ¾ sleeve button up with a gray pencil skirt. Kathleen told us the whole dress code is designed so that we look "professional", and I feel that this outfit does indeed fit that professional look.

I put on a little makeup, and adjusted my curls to my liking, and before I knew it, it was 7:15, and Kathleen was calling Cam and I out of our rooms to make sure that we ate breakfast before going to school. I wasn't very hungry, so I just made some toast, and ate it quickly before we headed out the door.

It was weird. Kathleen insisted on taking pictures of Cam and I as if the first day of school is a big deal. I know that a lot of parents take pictures of their children on the first day of kindergarten, but Campbell tells me that Kathleen does this every year. She is just one of those kinds of moms I guess. My mom hasn't cared about things like the first day of school or anything I was remotely excited about since Darcy died. I know she loves me, but nothing is the same.

Even if Kathleen isn't my mom it's kind of nice to have such a happy motherly figure around. I haven't really needed her yet, but I feel like if and when I do she will be more than happy to help. She just gives off that vibe, and it makes me smile.

When Kathleen is finished taking the pictures of us, she takes us to school. When we leave the car she tells us "Have a great day at school!" and gives us money for lunch before driving off.

I hear Cam take a deep breath next to me, and I look over at him. "Here it is." He says before starting toward the door of the really old looking brick building. A man stands at the door and lets us in with a simple "Good morning" greeting.

It's the first time I am seeing the inside of the school, and I am overwhelmed by all of the students walking around excitedly. Cam looks at me and I can tell that he is just as nervous. I don't have a clue where to go until I spot Lucy walking down the hall with April and Marnie. She sees me and Cam and rushes over to us.

"Hey! You guys look scared!" She says enthusiastically causing Cam to shy away behind me. I nod at her, and she smiles at me. "Would you like me to escort you to your homeroom?" she asks me sweetly.

"Sure. Thank you." I say gratefully as she gestures for me to follow her. "Are you going to be alright?" I ask Cam before I walk away with Lucy and her friends. "Yeah" he says with a nod as I go off with them up a staircase.

It turns out that my homeroom is on the second floor of the school, and is indeed the same homeroom that April is in. We walk in to the classroom, and she greets the teacher with a casual "How was your summer Mr.K?" The teacher responds to her by saying "Good, good. Who is this?"

"This is Clare. She's new here, and her schedule said that she's in here." April says with a grin.

"Oh yes… Clare Edwards." He says looking at some sort of list. I nod, and he starts again. "I'm Mr. Kessner, and I will be your homeroom teacher. This homeroom is pretty laid back, but I ask that you do watch the announcements when they are on. Also, welcome to Lakeview!" he says politely, and I nod again. Mr. Kessner speaks in a strange way. He annunciates very clearly, and talks in a casual way that comes off as formal speech. He is balding in the back of his brown hair, but looks rather on the young side.

I look at the classroom and notice that it's sparse with unfamiliar faces. "Come sit over here." April says guiding me to one of the many empty desks.

More people trickle in slowly for the next ten minutes, and by 8:10 most of the seats were filled. The morning announcements appear on the television, and a girl who is wearing too much makeup turns up the volume on the TV. We are instructed to stand up for the pledge of allegiance and I follow the rest of the kids not knowing the words from memory. We stand for a "moment of silence", but there are still people chattering.

"Welcome back Lakeview!" says a perky girl on the screen. The announcements last around ten minutes and just say that club signups will be in the cafeteria at lunch all week, and tell us what the lunch options are.

Once announcements are over, Mr. Kessner stands in front of the room. "Hello everyone, and welcome back. I know that you are all incredibly happy to be back." He says jokingly causing a group of boys to erupt in laughter. "We have a new student joining us in this homeroom." He says gesturing to me. I feel everyone's eyes on me, and Mr. K goes on "Clare, would you mind introducing yourself to everyone, maybe share something about yourself?" he asks me.

"Umm, I guess not." I say standing up from my seat. I nervously announce "Hi, I'm Clare Edwards, and I just moved here from Canada." I smile, and there is an awkward silence. "Bye." I state quickly sitting back down next to April.

"Thank you Clare." Mr. K says to me. "Make sure that you all make Clare feel welcome, and also we have the same bank of lockers this year. I have put your locker number as well as your combination on the bottom of your schedules." He hands out the schedules, and I glance at it for a minute. Ooh first period is chemistry with Mr. Webber. I don't remember which classes I have with Lucy, but I am hoping this is one of them.

We are dismissed from homeroom, and I am able to find the chemistry room. It takes me a while, but I find it, and see that Lucy is indeed in the class with me. I sit next to her, and the teacher takes attendance before talking to us about rules and what's expected of us. The next hour and a half goes by very slowly. We are just expected to listen to the teachers drone voice the entire time, and I almost doze off.

"Sorry I'm late… I got lost" I say walking into my AP Language arts class. My teacher looks at me with a smile. "Oh you're fine hun. It's just the first day of school. Find your name on the seating chart." The blonde haired woman informs pointing to a sheet of paper. I find my name, and sit down in the seat that I am supposed to be in quickly.

"Hey Clare!" a voice calls from behind me causing me to turn around quickly to see who it is.

I see that I am assigned to sit directly in front of none other than Eli. I give him an innocent smile "Hi" I reply nicely.

"So, AP LA, you must be a smarty?" he asks with a smirk. "I guess." I state before turning back around and blushing.

We are asked by the teacher Ms. Mainer to partner up, and interview each other using the questions she gave us. I suppose I will have to do a ton of these "ice breaker" exercises over the next day and a half.

Eli taps my shoulder, and I turn to face him. "You want to partner up?" he asks me with a grin, and I end up looking at him mesmerized. "Clare?" he asks curiously.

"Oh, Umm yeah." I finally respond. "Cool, let's get started." He smirks again.

"Okay…" I say awkwardly. Why can't I be normal? Ah! We go back and forth with stupid questions, and I make a fool of myself. He probably thinks that I am incapable of forming words… Ugh!

The next class that I have is in my homeroom with Mr. K I make it there, and sit in the seat that chose in homeroom. Other people make their way in, and I notice Campbell walking in the room. When he sees that I am in the class, he shoots me a smile before plopping in the desk next to mine.

"Hey" I say looking at him curiously. "What makes you think you can sit by me?" I joke.

"Haha" he responds staying in the seat. Mr. Kessner makes the entire class introduce themselves, announce a fun fact about them, and say something interesting they did this summer. It takes almost the full class for the train to get to Cam and I.

"Hello, I'm Clare Edwards. I am from Canada, and something interesting I did this summer is move here from Toronto." I say in a not so nervous tone, now that I am not the only one expected talk.

"Hi, I'm Campbell Saunders. I play hockey, and something interesting that happened this summer is that Clare moved into my house" he announces, and people look at us strangely.

"My mom is marrying her dad." He clarifies sitting down. The bell rings, and Mr. K dismisses us all to lunch.

I end up sitting with Cam since Lucy has a different lunch period. He introduces me to a few people he knows and or met throughout the day, and we eat chicken nuggets at a table.

The last class goes by quickly mostly because Lucy is in it. The Teacher is really laid back, and just lets us talk the whole time. By the time it is the end of the day, I am exhausted. Overall, my first day was quite uneventful. No faces stuck out in my brain, and no one really talked to me aside from people already knew, or the people that I met at lunch with Cam. They were all freshmen, and seemed nice enough, but I doubt I will be sitting with them much longer. I need to work on making friends that are my own age.

It is just my luck that I can't seem to find Cam, and my phone is dead. I look everywhere for him, and end up spotting Maya. I doubt she will know where he is, but decide it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Hey, Maya right?" I ask knowing what her name is. "Yeah, umm I'm sorry… I've met so many people today. Who are you again?" she asks me confused.

"Oh, you didn't meet me today… I was wondering if you have seen Cam anywhere?" I ask awkwardly.

She takes a deep breath. "You're Mr. Edward's daughter?" she says pointing at me. "Umm… yeah" I answer politely.

"Well, I did have biology with him last period, but I don't know where he is… We broke up." She says solemnly swallowing back a sob.

"I know… I'm sorry. He told me what happened at Whimsy world, and I figured you guys were okay. Sorry to bother you." I say nervously feeling sorry for her before walking away.

I walk around searching for him a few more minutes before finding Lucy. "Hey, could I use your phone? Mine died." I ask her desperately.

She hands me the phone, and I call my dad because it is the only number I know.

"Hey dad, do you think you could give me Kathleen's number?" I ask once he answers the phone. "Yeah hold on a minute." He says when I hear Cam call my name. "Clare!" he calls. "Never mind dad!" I say before hanging up the phone.

"Where have you been?" I ask him as we walk toward the door that Kathleen told us she would get us at. "I was looking for you." He says humorously. "I think we need a better plan for this." I say sarcastically. "Really? I think charging your phone would be plenty effective." He jokes as we get into the car.

"How was school, guys?" Kathleen asks us enthusiastically.

"Long" Cam says with a deep breath. "Tiring" I yawn.

"Well, maybe if you guys would sleep you would have the energy to get through school." Kathleen scolds us.

"I tried to go to sleep early… I was just too excited," I reply smiling.

"Understandable!" She smiles as she drives us home.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey guys! Enjoy this chapter! Also, if you would like to check out my newest story "Life's Not Fair" i would appreciate it a lot. I will probably not update this one as much, but do not fret! I will not end it abruptly and suckily! I love you guys! Have a great day!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own degrassi**

Luckily, I have lunch with Lucy and a lot of her friends on B days. I also found out that Hanna has the same lunch as me on A-days, and I sat with her and some other girl on Wednesday.

I have Journalism on B-days with Lucy, Eli, and Marnie. It was great we all sat at the same table, and I got to stare at Eli without looking like a crazy person. I am so strange…

On B- days, I sadly have Phys Ed 1 first period, and will look gross for the rest of the day. I have that class with Campbell too though.

Second period on B-days, I have French with Lucy and Lindsey. Third period I have Geometry with Lucy, and finally I have Journalism last period.

Now it is the Friday before my birthday, and we have off of school for some holiday on Monday. I am kind of happy that I have off, and I decided to go to Canada for the weekend. When my dad gets home we start the drive to my mom's house. It feels weird traveling back and forth, and actually having two bedrooms and two sets of friends and what not.

When we reach Toronto I ask my dad a question that I was really confused about.

"So dad, do I tell mom about Kathleen? I think that it will be hard to not tell her. Kathleen and Cam have become a part of my everyday life, and I know she's gonna ask about how everything is going." I add confused.

"Um…" he lets out as his thinking face spreads across his face. "I don't think that you telling her should be an issue." He mentions with a less contorted face.

Once we arrive in the driveway to my house I see that Glen is outside unloading the Martin Construction truck, and my dad is scowling at him through the window.

It does really stink that as soon as my parents got divorced Glen swooped in, and came to my mother's desperate rescue. Glen and my dad were best friends for years, and I guess Glen stealing my mom was the ultimate betrayal even if they were already divorced.

I get out of the car and say "See you Monday!" to my dad before he drives off quickly.

"Hi Glen." I greet in an unenthused voice as I pass into the house. He doesn't bother to reply because by the time he turns to say something I am already at the door.

As soon as I walk in my mom runs to me from the stairs, and hugs me. "Clarebear, I have missed you so much!" she squeals as she squeezes me a bit too tightly.

"I missed you too mom!" I respond pulling away from her tight grasp.

"Come sit! We have so much to catch up on!" She states pulling me over to the couch. I follow her, and sit down before she starts talking once again.

"How is everything going in the states?" she asks me smiling brightly. "It's good." I respond awkwardly.

"Well how was your first week of school? Did you make any new friends?" she asks obviously wanting to know more.

"School was fine, and I made a few new friends." I mention not really knowing what to elaborate on.

"Okay, well how is your father doing?" she asks me curiously. I decide that this will be a good time to tell mom about Kathleen and Cam, and take a deep breath before talking.

"He's happy. He's getting married, and his fiancé is really nice. She and one of her sons actually live with us." I say hesitantly not knowing what to expect from my mother.

"Oh… That's nice for him I guess." She responds taking it a lot better than I figured she would.

"So… what is this woman like?" she asks curiously. "Her name is Kathleen, and like I said she's nice. She's a nurse and I don't really know what else to say about her." I nervously reply.

"Well, what about her kids. Are they nice to you?" she asks kind of accusingly.

"Yeah…" I drag out trying to get her to calm out a bit. I guess she probably wants to hear that they are jerkish boys and that Kathleen is an ugly hag of a woman, but 'm not going to lie to her.

I like my dad's new family a lot more than I like hers. Kathleen is actually nice to me, and Glen just seems annoyed by my presence. Jake is a jerk face, and Cam isn't at all. Even after some very awkward things happened we have managed to become friends, and that is a lot better than how things are between Jake and I.

"Okay Clare. I'm sorry if I seem a bit hostile. This is just a bit of a surprise." She says noticing my uneasiness.

"So what do you want to do for your birthday?" my mom asks me with a new fake happiness in her tone.

"I don't know. I'll probably just hang out with Alli or something." I mention not really wanting to continue this conversation. I have been here ten minutes, and I already regret my decision to come back.

"Oh… I thought we might have a little party. We could invite maybe five of your friends and maybe go out to eat or something." My mom adds nicely.

"It's kind of last minute don't you think?" I ask her annoyed. "Well, I suppose, but it's your sweet sixteen. Don't you want to spend it with all of your friends?" she asks not catching on to my snarky tone.

"Alli is really my only friend left here!" I add standing up from the couch.

"That's not true… what about Dave, and that boy Connor, and how about that boy you used to date. What's his name again KC?"

I grin sarcastically in disbelief at the list my mom just gave. "Dave and Alli broke up so he is no longer a friend. I haven't spoken to Connor since he tried to kiss me last year at the robotics competition! As for KC... What makes you think that I would want to hang out with a boy that cheated on me with the girl who my step-brother slash ex boyfriend got pregnant?" I yell at my mother, and she looks at me with angry eyes.

"I just wanted to make your birthday special there is no reason for this attitude!" she snaps at me.

Instead of staying to listen to her spiel about how ungrateful I am, I run upstairs and lock myself in my room until it's really late and I am certain that she had gone to bed.

I walk out of my room and down the stairs to the kitchen to get something to eat. I was in my room for four hours, and I haven't eaten since lunch back in Erie. Once in the kitchen I notice that I am not alone. Jake is standing in front of the pantry looking for something to snack on, and I contemplate going back upstairs. My stomach is growling so I decide to suck it up, and look in the fridge for some left over's.

I find a Tupperware container that has some sort of casserole in it, and I turn to Jake who is now sitting at the island eating chips. "How old is this, and what is this?"

He responds with his mouth full of potato chips "Helen made it yesterday and its some sort of chicken, noodle, broccoli, cheesy stuff. It wasn't bad."

"Okay thanks" I respond putting some of the casserole in a bowl, and then placing the bowl in the microwave.

"So, how's it going?" he asks curiously in between bites of chips.

"Good I guess. How are things with you?" I respond in a civil tone.

"I guess okay." He says shrugging his shoulders and staring off into space.

"I heard about Jenna." I add, and he looks at me with a worried frown. "Oh goody… Gossip girl knows." He mentions rubbing his head. I giggle because I know that he is referring to Alli, and it is true. Girl loves her gossip.

For the first time in years I don't feel like pounding Jakes head into the pavement. I feel sympathy for him. I can see that he is worried about what is to come with him, and surprisingly, I don't feel jealous of Jenna being with him. I think that I may be on my way to getting over Jake Martin, and that is the best feeling I have had in a long while.

"Do you guys know what you are doing?" I ask him curiously sitting on the opposite side of the island with my warmed up casserole.

"No. I'm kind of hoping that she'll get an abortion." He says snacking on his chips not realizing the bomb he just dropped.

"Jake!" I say in shock with wide eyes. "What?" he asks causally looking over at me.

"You can't say that! That poor baby doesn't deserve to die just because you and Jenna were stupid!" I say with my jaw dropped.

"Oh, are you back to being a Jesus freak?" he asks me, and I get offended.

"No! I'm just anti-abortion!" I reply harshly. "Adoption is always an option!" I add taking a bite of my casserole.

"I guess, but I don't have a say in what she does. It's kind of not fair. I am expected to just live with whatever choice she makes." He adds looking kind of sad.

"Well, maybe you guys should have been a bit more careful…" I add sarcastically.

"Too late for that now…" he says placing another chip in his mouth. "So, how do you like living with your dad?" he asks with his mouth full.

"I like it more than I thought I would." I say kind of repulsed by his lack of manners, but shrug it off. How did I not notice this before?

"That's good… Are the boys there super dreamy?" he asks teasingly. It's kind of an inappropriate question for him to ask me, but I answer any way. "Um… yes actually." I smile putting my bowl in the sink.

"I'm going to bed now. Good night!" I say nicely before heading back up the stairs. It's kind of crazy how much I am not affected by seeing Jake. It's only been a couple weeks, and I feel next to nothing for him. I should have left months ago.


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry That I haven't updated in forever. I've been busy. School ends after next week and I'll be updating both stories more often! Sorry and thanks for your patience!**

The next day I called Alli as soon as I woke up, and she rushed over to my mom's house to come see me.

I spent the day with her walking around town. It's strange being here. I may have only been gone for a few weeks, but everything is different.

She doesn't associate with any of the people she used to. She introduced me to a few Indian girls that I have never met before, and hanging out is a bit awkward. From the looks of things it appears that Alli will be just fine without me. Who knows… I might even spend my junior year in Erie if my mom keeps being so… ugh.

Alli's new friends are a lot different from me. They are like Alli on steroids. They were scouting for guys the whole time and dressed provocatively. Some of them were even smoking which made me hope that they do not rub off on Alli.

My birthday is terribly boring. I sit at my mom's house with Alli almost the whole day. Jake is out with his friends, and my mom and Glen are the only ones home. My mom makes me one of my favorite dinners and bakes a cake, but I can't help feeling that my birthday would have been better spent with my dad.

I would have missed Alli, but my mom has been irritating me since I got here, and Glen is just there. He doesn't really do anything. We have dinner and cake and then Alli gives me a birthday present.

I open it up, and tear up at the long, heartfelt message she wrote in the card. "Thank you!" I say hugging her through my tears.

"Why are you crying? It wasn't that sappy." She says fanning her eyes holding back tears as she hugs me.

"Now open the present." She demands nicely.

"Okay sassy pants!" I say reaching my hand in the gift bag, and pulling out a scrap book that Alli made.

I flip through the pages and cry as I look at the pictures, and little sayings written all around. One quote that really gets me going is one that reads "Best friends are the sisters you choose yourself."

I look over at Alli who is smiling at me widely. "Do you like it?" she asks expectantly.

"I love it!" I reply standing up and hugging her tightly.

My mom then hands me a wrapped up box, and tells me to open it. My mom got me a new necklace which was very pretty as well as a new pair of shoes. A lacey pair of navy blue ballet flats.

"Thank you so much mom!" I say giving her a hug. "I love it!"

"You're welcome Clarebear. I love you." She mentions giving me a hug.

Alli asks her parents if she is allowed to sleep over and they say that she can. We decide to go into my room and watch a movie. We change into our pajamas and make popcorn before curling up on my bed and watching one of our favorites "The Breakfast Club".

Just as it gets to the part when Judd Nelson asks for a bunch of detentions, my phone starts ringing.

"Ooh. Who is it?" Alli nudges me in the arm as I look at the screen. "It's only Cam." I say dismissing her teasing.

"Hello" I say answering the phone.

"Clare, you'll never guess what happened. We won the game and I made the winning goal!" he proclaims excitedly.

"Congratulations!" I say happy for him. "Oh… by the way Happy Birthday!" he adds and I chuckle slightly. "Thanks."

"So, how is your birthday going?" he asks nicely.

"It's not bad. Alli is sleeping over and my mother has only been mildly annoying." I say laughing into the phone.

"How's your day going, Aside from you winning the game?" I inquire.

"It was boring. I sat at home all day and you weren't even there to entertain me." He mentions jokingly.

"Well, I'm sorry. I figured that I should see my mom. I'll be home tomorrow though." I comment.

"Good. I miss you!" he adds sweetly. "I miss you too." I respond nicely.

I hear Dallas's voice in the background saying "Dude, that's a creepy thing to say to your step sister." teasingly.

"Sorry if that was creepy, Clare." He says to me in response to what Dallas sad. "You're fine. I didn't think it was creepy. Dallas is just crazy" I smile.

"Ooh! Tell Dallas I said hi!" Alli adds giddily loud enough for Cam to hear.

"Okay. I will. I gotta go though Clare. See you tomorrow." He closes before hanging up the phone.

"What was creepy?" Alli inquires raising an eyebrow.

"Dallas was teasing Cam for saying that he misses me." I say casually.

"Awe! He misses you. That's adorable!" she says poking me in the side.

"Not adorable! He's my future step brother for crying out loud." I sigh to Alli who had seriously been telling me how disgusting it was not long ago.

"I thought about it. I watched 'Clueless' and I realized that it would be adorable." She adds with an excited grin.

"Not happening." I say shaking my head at her. "I think Eli is going to ask me out." I add.

"Well fine then, but if things with Eli don't work out… Cam's a cutie!" she pokes me with wide eyes.

"Alli!" I yell falling back on my pillow. "What? You obviously like him. You made out with him… more than once." She comments teasingly.

"Don't remind me. I'm seriously trying to not get into this again." I say frowning.

"Cam isn't Jake, and I still think that you were both equally responsible for the downfall of that relationship. It's no big deal. It's not like any relationship before high school actually counts anyway." Alli adds shrugging it off.

"He was in high school…" I add defending why I was so hung up on him. "Yeah, but Clare… It's not like it was that big of a relationship. You dated him for a couple months and I'm guessing you kissed him what 7 times?" Alli adds laughing.

I feel my face turn red and I put a pillow over my face and scream into it.

"Girl, what is wrong with you?" Alli asks pulling the pillow down from my face. "If I tell you something do you promise to never tell a soul?" I ask her feeling bad that Lucy and Cam know my secret, but my best friend still doesn't.

"What is it?" she asks confused. "I had sex with Jake when we were dating and then he broke up with me." I whisper not wanting anyone else in the house to hear.

"You what?" She asks me as her jaw drops. "You lost your virginity before me?" she yells a bit loudly. "Shhh!" I demand with a nod.

The rest of the night Alli asks me questions about my first and only time until I start crying. She then changes the subject and we watch another movie until we eventually fall asleep.


End file.
